Zucchini Cakes

Zucchini Cakes
#Vegetarian, #Dairy-Free

Eww!  Gross! What is that! These are some of the responses I get when my children eat anything green (or have it touch their plate for that matter). We are working on their manners, but it is something I don't have worry about when we have Zucchini cakes for dinner.  They love them! I thought of making this recipe the other night after receiving my annual renewal form to our local farm share, otherwise known as a CSA (community supported agriculture).  Last summer I wound up shredding a bunch of zucchini I got in my share, divided it into freezer bags, and froze it so I that could use it throughout the winter. This recipe is perfect use for it.

Although the frozen zucchini is very nice to have, I love to think that in a few short months I will be getting weekly fresh vegetables and at a great price.  Where else can you get organically grown produce for about 6 months out of the year and for around $350.  I don't know about you but I would wind up paying a lot more than $350 over a 6 month period of time if I were to buy produce from the grocery store. Not to mention the fact that the produce in the store was most likely picked weeks ago and may have traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles before getting to the store.  Personally, I love showing up to the farm and being able to see the food that I will be eating growing beautifully in the sun and knowing the people who have grown it.  It is a pleasure to know that all my money is going directly to the farmers and staying in my community. If anyone in the Cazenovia or Manlius NY area is still looking for a great CSA check out Luck Moon Farms www.luckymoonfarm.org. There are plenty of others in this area as well and I am sure in your area too. A quick Google search would probably help you locate one.

With a CSA you may get a vegetable or two that you don't know what to do with, but that is part of the fun!  It will force you to become more creative in you cooking and try some vegetables that you many not have tried otherwise.  I will be posting seasonal vegetable recipes once the growing seasons starts so be on the look out for those for some ideas as well!  I could go on and on about how great I think CSA's are, but on to the recipe....

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups of Shredded zucchini
• 1 cup homemade breadcrumbs
• 1/2 small onion diced
• 1 Tbs Italian herbs
• 1/2- 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 2 local pasture raised eggs 
• 2 Tbs Olive oil

Directions:

1. Squeeze water out of shredded zucchini
2. Combine zucchini with breadcrumbs, onions, Italian herbs, salt, and old bay seasoning 
3. Lightly beat eggs and add to dry ingredients
4. Mix until combined
5. Heat olive oil in pan
6. Form mixture into patties...I usually do about 2 inches in diameter, but you can do them any size you want.  Since the patties will be loose I like to drop them right into the hot oil. 
7. Cook zucchini cakes on medium heat for about 4-5 mins per side or until crispy

You can substitute carrots for the zucchini or do a combination of both if you like.   I have used these as both a side dish and main entree.  Apple sauce goes great with them as well.  

Why it is good for you:

• Zucchini: Low in calories and high in fiber.  Contains vitamins C, A and folate which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  It also contains the minerals magnesium and potassium, which are helpful in lowering blood pressure, and the trace mineral manganese which aids in many physiological functions such as metabolism.  
• Eggs:  Great source of protein.  I plan on posting a whole blog on all the benefits of using local pasture raised eggs soon.    

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs
Vegan, Dairy-Free

It wasn't until recently that it dawned on me that if store bought bread has a lot of ingredients than store bought breadcrumbs probably do too.  Not sure why it took me so long to put two and two together, but I took a look at the ingredient list and it was even worse then bread!  Now, I can't say that we often have left over pieces of bread, but when we do I throw them in the freeze (in a freezer bag) until I have enough to make into breadcrumbs.  More often, I will make an extra loaf of bread and slice it up.

Ingredients:
Slices of homemade bread (see homemade bread recipe)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Place slices of bread on baking sheet and bake in oven for about 10-12 mins until bread is dry and slightly crispy.
3. Break up slices of bread so they fit into food processor
4. Run food processor for about 45 seconds or until you get desired consistency. 

You can keep the breadcrumbs in a resealable plastic freezer bag in the fridge for a few days otherwise store them in the freezer.   The homemade breadcrumbs contain a lot less salt then store bought, so just be aware when using them in your recipes, you may want to adjust.  Also, if a recipe calls for seasoned breadcrumbs I will often add Italian herbs.

Why it's good for you:
Minimal ingredients and you can control what kind of breadcrumbs you make depending on the flour you use for your bread.

I would love to hear your thought and comments on any of the recipes!  Thanks for reading and hope you are finding it useful!

Homemade Bread. Yes you can do it!

Homemade Bread
Vegan, Dairy-Free, 

I was a doubter too.  Homemade bread?  Yeah right!  There is no way I can make bread....I don't have a bread machine!  And who has time to kneed and do what ever else you do to make bread!  Then about a year ago my friend Jasmeen introduced me to this amazingly simple recipe and I haven't looked back.

For about a year prior to this I had done my best to buy bread with minimal ingredients, but choices were very limited and prices were high.  I would suck it up and pay the $4.00-$6.00 for a loaf of bread knowing that my other option was to pay a significant amount less but get a lot "More". "More" meaning more processed ingredients and additives that I did not want to put into my or my family's bodies.  So I tried the recipe.  It was so easy and delicious, plus it made my house smell great!  Altogether it takes about 13 hours to make, but the actual hands on time is only about 5-10 mins.  The most important thing for me to remember is timing, but we will get to that later.

This is also a very versatile recipe. You can use different flours and add things in (ie rosemary and garlic, berries, cheese etc...)  The original recipe calls for all purpose flour, but the picture above and recipe below is a combination of organic all purpose white flour and spelt flour in my attempt to start to cut back a bit on our wheat intake.  I know there is a lot of opinions on wheat these days.  I am not going to go down that road today, but I will say that I plan on experimenting with different types of flour for different recipes, so look for more on this to come... Just as an FYI: spelt or whole wheat flours do make the bread a bit more dense and you may need a touch more water.

Try it out!  Make your own bread and leave a comment to let me know what you think or what kind of variation you tried!  Enjoy!  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Organic all purpose flour
• 1 cup Spelt Flour
• 1/2 tsp active yeast (I buy the jar)
• 1 Tbs salt
• 1 1/2-2 cups warm water

Directions:

1. Activate 1/2 tsp yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, let sit for a couple of minutes.
2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add activated yeast  to flour mixture.
4. Add 1 1/2 cups warm water to flour mixture.
5. Stir until dry ingredients are moist. (I found using a spatula works best).  If you need to add a little bit more water do it a little at a time, but not too much, you don't want it really wet.  
6. Cover bowl with saran wrap for about 12 hours.  I have done this in as little as 8 hours. Once I forgot and made it after the dough rested for 24 hours.  It has worked every time.  It just needs to rise, so don't get to worked up about how long you have it covered.  
7. After the 12 hours (or so) heat your oven to 450.  Once the oven is heated place a dutch oven (cast iron pot) with the lid on, in the oven for 30 mins. 
8. Take pot out of oven and place dough in the dutch oven (You don't need to worry about greasing the dutch oven the bread will come out easily at the end).   You may have to scrape it out a little.  Place dutch oven with lid on back in the oven for another 30 mins.  Things will start smelling very good quickly!
9. After 30 mins remove the lid (Don't forget the lid is hot!  Use pot holders!) and place back in the oven for another 12-15 mins.  You can also drizzle a little olive oil and salt  or cinnamon and sugar at this point before putting back in.  
10. Take out and enjoy!  

As a side note about the timing I mentioned before: I was a little intimidated with the "letting it sit for 12 hour thing" then baking it for an hour.  I work during the day so.... when was I going to bake it?  What I found  is that I will either try to make the dough the evening and let it sit over night.  Then heat up the oven with the dutch oven in it first thing when I get up.  Once I am showered and dressed I throw in the dough and the bread is done before I leave for the day.  Or I will mix the dough together first thing in the morning and make the bread that night when I get home.  It is very doable and worth the little bit of extra effort.

Why it's good for you:

As mentioned above it uses minimal ingredients and can be made a lot cheaper than minimally processed store bought bread.  Depending on what kind of flour you use and what you add to it, will vary the nutritional value as well.  Even better, it's way tastier than store bought bread!   

Simple Granola

Simple Granola
Vegan, Dairy-Free




Thought I would stick with breakfast again and try and use some of the same ingredients from the last recipe since they are on hand.  The great thing about this Granola is it is very flexible.  This time I used walnuts, but you could easily substitute or just add almonds, instead of dried cranberries try cherries.  Other great additions are sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.  If you don't like all the spices take out the cinnamon and vanilla or change it out for nutmeg or all spice.  Have fun with it and customize it to your taste or perhaps what you have on hand!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Rolled Old Fashion Oats
• 1/2 cup Flaxseed
• 1/2 Wheatgerm (omit if you want gluten free)
• 1/2 cup Walnuts
• 3 tsp Canola Oil
• 1/2 Maple Syrup, Local Honey or Combination of both
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried apricots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.  Spread onto a large baking sheet and cook in oven for 12 minutes.   Toss on baking sheet then spread back out and place back in the oven for another 12 minutes.  Take out, add dried fruit and let cool  Store in air tight container on the counter or fridge for up to a week.  Also freezes very well! 

This is great with plain yogurt or coconut-almond milk!  

Why it's good for you:

• Oatmeal- has soluble and insoluble fiber.  Soluble fiber is good for helping to reduce cholesterol and insoluble helps food pass through our gut faster (relieves constipation). Oatmeal is a good source of protein and nutrients including zinc, vitamin E, copper, iron, selenium, and magnesium.
• Wheat Germ- Just 2 tsp contains 15% of daily vitamin E intake and 10% of recommended folate intake
• Flax Seed -Contain Plant based Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Contain Lignans, which contain antioxidant qualities, and also has soluble and insoluble fiber.
• Local Honey- Although there are no peer reviewed studies there are many anecdotal reports that eating honey that is local to your area can help reduce allergies.  
• Walnuts- High in protein, vitamin (B6, folate, thiamine,vitamin E), and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Cinnamon- Some studies have shown it to reduce cholesterol, reduce inflammation and have antioxidant effects.
• Apricots-Contain beta carotene (helpful in heart disease prevention) and also contain large amounts of vitamin A (great for eye site).
• Dried Cranberries- trace amounts of vitamin E and vitamin C

 

Tropical Oatmeal

Tropical Oatmeal

Gluten Free, Vegan, Low-sugar, Dairy Free

Breakfast is definitely a must for me in the morning.  If I don't have something substantial I can feel it for the rest of the day. Not to mention others around me suffer from my cranky mood swings. 
I found this very easy, quick and filling to keep me going throughout the morning. The only sugar that is in the recipe comes from the fruit, but the flavor is really delicious!  I know there is a lot of "prepared" oatmeal out there, but most are filled with things I can't pronounce and have no idea what they are.  This is especially silly to me knowing it takes just as much time to make pretty much any flavor oatmeal just as quickly at home and its cheaper to do yourself!!  I am definitely not perfect, but one rule I try to keep in mind is the less ingredients the better (added bonus to this rule is it often makes meals less expensive!).  I try to buy whole foods, or minimally processed packaged food with minimal ingredients and ones that I recognize!  Anyway on to the oatmeal!

• 1/2 cup Old Fashion Rolled oats
• 1 cup Unsweeted Coconut Almond milk
• 2-3 tablespoons Ground Flaxseed
• 3  organic Strawberries (frozen or fresh) diced
• 4-5 dried apricots diced 

Add all ingredients to a microwave safe bowl and cook for 1:30-2:00 mins.  Enjoy!!!!


This recipe is for one but can be easily made for multiple people.  I would suggest following the stove top directions for the oatmeal if making for a large bunch. 


Why it's good for you:

• Oatmeal- has soluble and insoluble fiber.  Soluble fiber is good for helping to reduce cholesterol and insoluble helps food pass through our gut faster (relieves constipation). Oatmeal is a good source of protein and nutrients including zinc, vitamin E, copper, iron, selenium, and magnesium.  
• Unsweetened Coconut-Almond Milk:  Great Dairy Alternative.  Consistency is not as thick as Almond or Soy Milk and helps gives this recipe a "tropical" flavor.  I use the Blue Diamond Brand and there is 45% of your daily calcium value, 50% for vitamin E and 25% of vitamin D, along with Vitamin A Iron Phosphorus and Magnesium in it.
• Flax Seed -Contain Plant based Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Contain Lignans, which contain antioxidant qualities, and Flax seed also has soluble and insoluble fiber.
• Apricots-Contain beta carotene (helpful in heart disease prevention) and also contain large amounts of vitamin A (great for eye site).
• Strawberries- strawberries have loads of goods stuff in them including vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber and more.  Some research shows that only 1 cup can lower blood sugar levels.

Thanks for checking out my blog:  Food to feel your best!    I wanted a place that I could share easy ways for people to change their nutrition and feel better! I truly believe that by putting good food, raised, or grown with love and care into your body you can feel better and see the positive energy start to flow throughout other aspects of your life.   I will share not only recipes but information about what nutritional value different foods offer and how to incorporate them easily into your life.  I will include recipes for all different types of diets...gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, detox, etc.  My intention is provide helpful information and make eating delicious, nutritious, and simple!