Cranberry Rosemary Refresher

I have been told by numerous people that the life of a food blogger seems really glamorous. I think sometimes when we see a picture of a beautiful dish, we imagine the chef/photographer standing in their kitchen, leisurely making a delicious meal about to be served to their family, while casually stopping to snap a photograph or two. As a food blogger, I can tell you that this is rarely how it happens. At least, not in my house.

Instead, here's the scene: a rainy Saturday morning.  At home, alone, with two crazy cats. The best light in my house is in my living room, with giant windows that face a main road. There I am, still in my pajamas, standing on a stool above a table to get the best angle as people walk by and shoot me puzzled looks.

Randomly a rogue cranberry falls from the table, inspiring one of my cats to bat it around the living room with all his might. As I'm trying to balance on a stool, ignore the passerbys, and get a decent shot, I knock over the martini glass and spill cranberry juice across my living room.  By now both of my cats are engaged in a cranberry-chasing battle and all of this running has managed to make one of them lose his lunch. Clean-up on aisle five, please?

Nevertheless, I managed to get a decent photograph of an amazing drink that you need to try this holiday season. Whether you leisurely enjoy this at a beautiful dinner with your loved ones, or simply use it as a reward for cat clean-up duty, I promise that it will energize your taste buds while flooding your body with nutrients.

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Spiced Orange Cranberry Sauce

I understand that Thanksgiving is over. I know that it's time to move on from lentil loaves, mashed potatoes, and roasted yams. My brain is on board with this. But, my tastebuds? That's a different story.

I made this spiced orange cranberry sauce this year for Thanksgiving and have been indulging myself every day since. I've had this sauce over lentils, spread this on toast, and eaten it after dinner for dessert. If this keeps up, by New Years you might have to send me to cranberry rehab.

In my defense, it's important for you to know that this isn't any ordinary cranberry sauce. This one isn't overly sweet or loaded with refined white sugars like the typical canned cranberry sauce of my youth. Instead, it is sweetened with a few dates and spiced up with ginger, fresh oranges, and zest.

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Sweet Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Walnuts

Lessons I am learning right now...

It is okay to sleep in when you are tired.

It is okay to snuggle a cat who really does not want to be snuggled.

It is okay to take a day off.

It is okay to sneak a cookie when no one is looking. (or even if they are...)

It is okay to say no.

It is okay to need help, ask for help, and accept help.

It is okay to burn pancakes.

And it is okay to sit on your couch on a Sunday morning, eating Brussels sprouts for breakfast, and covering them in maple syrup because you burned your pancakes. 

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Cranberry & Pecan Power Bars

Do you have a little voice inside your head that tells you what to do?  Does it tell you things like eat your greens!  Or, get off this couch - NOW!  Or, stop looking at that pizza like that!  'Cause mine does.  Tell me about your little voice; I promise I won't judge.

The little voice inside my head kicked my butt through 42 miles of cycling on Saturday.  Up and down and up more hills, through long winding flat road, and even through a little bit of rain.  That voice pushed me to go harder.  Sometimes that little voice sounds a lot like Jillian Michaels.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

Lucky for me I made these delicious and energizing power bars before my ride.  It wasn't until I started doing long bicycle rides that I understood the point of the power bar.  Before this summer, I had never done a workout longer than 2.5 hours and I didn't realize how badly your body needs carbohydrates and glucose during long workouts.  Having a nutritious and healthy snack during a long ride or workout really makes a difference.

 

The original recipe called for rice cereal, but I substituted puffed millet and also added in some quinoa flakes for a little extra protein.  There is a lot of room for substitutions and adjustment on this recipe so feel free to get creative.  These bars are chewy, nutrient dense, and definitely keep your energy up.  I also love them with a cup of tea for breakfast or as a post-workout snack.  

Cranberry and Pecan Power Bars

Adapted From Enlightened Cooking

Makes 12 bars

1 1/4 cup puffed millet cereal
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
2 Tablespoons quinoa flakes (optional)
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or another dried fruit)
1/4 cup cup chopped pecans (or another nut)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup almond butter (or any nut butter of your choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the millet, oats, quinoa flakes, flaxseed meal, cranberries, and nuts in a large bowl.

Combine the syrup and almond butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and well-blended.  Stir in vanilla until blended.

Pour almond buter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated (you will probably have to get your hands in it to thoroughly mix it).  Press mixture firmly into an 8-inch square pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) using a large square of wax paper to really tamp it down.  Cool in pan on a wire rack and chill at least 30 minutes to help it set.  Cut into 12 bars, wrap tightly in plastic, and store in refrigerator. 

Cranberry Apple Pumpkin Bread

How do you feel about New Year's resolutions?  I'm a little obsessed with them at the moment.  I'm also a little obsessed with cranberries.  It's kind of a problem.

So how about those resolutions?  Big fan of 'em or resolution hater?  Do you prefer silly resolutions or serious ones?  I am one of those weirdos that is always working on goal lists so, of course, yearly resolutions are right up my alley.

I've always liked New Year's because it is a fresh start.  And, any holiday that motivates people (including myself!) to treat their bodies better and focus on their health?  That's a holiday to celebrate.

For 2010 I had the usual round of resolutions (work out more often, save money) along with a couple of more challenging ones: be more positive, give myself more credit, and live my life from a place of possibility rather than fear.  I really liked that last one so I'm keeping it for 2011.  It reminds me to try new things, push my own boundaries of what scares me, and always leads to great and unexpected experiences. 

What's on your list for 2011?  Would you be willing to share it with me?  Here is what I came up with:

• Live my life from a place of possibility rather than fear.
• Treat my body like the precious resource it is.
• Connect more with those I love.
• Take more quiet time for myself.
• Push my athletic boundaries.
• Have more fun.

Oh, and add cranberries to more recipes.  They're good.

This bread is an adaptation of my Not-Your-Average-Pumpkin-Bread recipe. As you may have guessed, this is also not-your-average cranberry apple pumpkin bread. Get ready.

What I love most about this bread is that I don't feel guilty when I'm eating it.  Since I usually end up eating a majority of what I bake (unless I promptly give it away), I try to use the healthiest and freshest ingredients possible. The only downfall about this bread is that it can be a little soft fresh from the oven, but I like it best after it's been sitting in the fridge overnight anyway.  See you in the New Year!

Adapted from Holistic Nutrition Bytes

1 1/2 cups flour of your choice (I used a combination of spelt and white whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
dash cloves
1 cups cooked and pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup unrefined virgin coconut oil
3 Tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with enough hot water to make 1/2 cup
2 Tbs water
1/2 cup agave
3 tbs applesauce
handful of chopped walnuts for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease loaf pan. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

Puree pumpkin, flaxseed meal mixture, coconut oil, water, agave nectar, fresh ginger, and applesauce in blender until smooth. Mix flour mixture with puree until just combined and pour into the pan.

Sprinkle a few walnuts on top, if desired.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until an toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean.

Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

There is nothing I hate more than last-minute baking... during the holidays... when your final product tastes like $*#&... and you have now run out of ingredients.  Not that I would know what that's like, or anything...

The nonprofit I work for has an awesome tradition of having the staff bake holiday cookies for our clients to take home.  There's nothing I would love to do more than give a small gesture of light in these dark times.

On my way out the door of the office someone asked if I had signed up to bake cookies for tomorrow.  With a guilty conscience, I replied no.  In my defense, I figured that no one would want vegan cookies which I would probably make with spelt flour and agave.  But, I soon learned that the person that I was talking to happened to be a wheat-free vegan... so all my excuses flew out the window.

I felt good on the way home knowing that I had just picked up a new tub of Earth Balance the night before.  I had the supplies, I had a little time, and I honestly wanted to do it.

Then I got in my kitchen and everything fell apart.  My oatmeal cookies wouldn't hold together... then a batch burned... heck, my bag of compost even spilled on the counter.  It was a rough night.

Around 10 pm, out of Earth Balance and almost out of patience, I asked Ashley to go to the store and buy cookie dough.  Yes, pre-made cookie dough.  It was an all-time low.

Instead, she returned with another tub of Earth Balance and some encouragement... and cookie dough as a back-up.  These are what resulted.

Happy holidays to you and yours.  

To spare you some pain and heartbreak, here are some important lessons I learned:

• When a recipe says that your margarine (or butter) should be softened, don't melt it -- especially on accident.  Besides, that would be dumb.  Who would do that anyway?
• Keep your cool.  In baking, the more you get frustrated the worse the result.  Take a mandatory time-out if you're starting to lose it. 
• Different cookie sheets cook cookies differently... a little fun-fact I learned after my kitchen filled up with the lovely smell of burnt cookies.  Yum.  Cooking with cookie sheets that do not have edges require less time than cooking with cookie sheets that do.  Now you know.   
• And finally, remember to give thanks to your kitchen-support team.  You know, the people that are willing to run out to the store at 10:30 pm at night for supplies.  You rock. 

Adapted from The Best Recipes Cookbook
Makes about a dozen and a half cookies.

1 1/4 cups Earth Balance, softened

1 1/2 cups (vegan) sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Egg-replacer for 2 eggs

2 1/4 cups oatmeal
1 cups dried cranberries
3/4 cups walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In large bowl, beat earth balance and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  (I did this by hand but you could use a mixer at medium speed.)  Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and egg replacer; beat until just blended, occasionally scarping bowl with spatula. Stir in oats, dried cranberries, and walnuts.

Use a little less than 1/4 cup of dough and form into a nice cookie shape and flatten just a bit. Place on the ungreased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.  Bake 350 degrees until golden about 10-12 minutes.  Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Wintertime Salad with Hearty Dressing

Have you ever heard of the Reverb project?  I came across it on another blog and instantly fell in love with it.  It is a series of questions and prompts posted daily in December to help you reflect on the past year.  It was started by Gwen Bell and you can join the fun by posting on your blog or adding your thoughts in my comments below. Since I haven't been answering the questions here daily I thought it might be fun to answer a few at a time. 

One Word. 
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

That's an easy one:  food.  I don't think you need me to explain more about that.  I mean, we are here together on a food blog, aren't we?

But, coming up with a word for 2011 was a bit tougher.  After much thought I finally settled on health, but happiness and friendships were close seconds.  Of course, if at the end of 2011 my word ends up being food yet again, I won't be disappointed.

Appreciate 
What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? 

This year, more than any other year, I have grown to fully appreciate my body.  This year my body survived a gallstone diagnosis, digestive pain, a twisted ankle, a severe shoulder injury, constant shin splits, random foot and knee pain... and still managed to hang in there.  Thank you, body.  You rock. I express my gratitude for you daily by eating the most nutritious foods I can and giving you exercise and proper rest.

There are so many other things to be grateful for too.  I am so appreciative to live in the Pacific Northwest and have access to some of the most amazing and delicious fruits and vegetables.  I try to express this gratitude by eating locally, seasonally, and organically if possible.  This earth is so beautiful and I hope to be a part of keeping it that way.

5 Minutes 
Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

This is tough.  Let's see... The first time I tasted Ethiopian food.  Graduating from Antioch in June and feeling completely overwhelmed and confused by life.  My first bike ride to downtown Seattle... all by myself!  All of the delicious raw food I ate in July (remember this salad and this summer gazpacho? Yum.)  Finding an amazing job that fulfills my heart and soul.  Bringing home my cat. Getting together with great friends.  Picking blueberries in a field and freaking out at the sight of two garden snakes.  Using crutches for the first time.  Joining an amazing CSA.  Eating at Vita Cafe in Portland. Chopping off 8 inches of my hair.  Going to my first PCC Cooks class.  Getting a passport, even without going anywhere.  Going to a pumpkin patch.  This ice cream.  Learning to cook beans from scratch.  Watching the first snowfakes of 2010 fall.  Discovering Plum Bistro on Capitol Hill.  Oh, and starting this blog.  Thanks for spending the year with me.

I know that salad is not the first thing many people crave in the dead middle of winter.  However, if you use winter fruits and greens and pair it with a hearty dressing, it's almost better than soup.  This salad is sweet with a tangy twist because of the cranberries and vinegar in the dressing.  Instead of spinach you can use other greens like kale, but if they are thick greens I would recommend massaging the dressing into the leaves and letting it sit a bit to soften before serving.  Enjoy it while you're curled up next to the fireplace or, in my case, apartment heater.

Wintertime Salad:
Serves 4
4 cups spinach (or other greens)
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
2 clementines, divided into slices
1/4 cup fresh cranberries, sliced in half 
1 avocado

Hearty Dressing:
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup + 2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 Tbs water

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat.  Add your onions and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk the garlic and onions together with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, water, basil, and rosemary. Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  If necessary, add a little more water and/or olive oil.

Preparation:
Add one cup of greens to each plate and top with clementine slices, a handful of pomegranate seeds, some cranberries and a quarter of the avocado, sliced.  Drizzle dressing over the top.

Snow Day Pancakes with Blueberry & Cranberry Compote

I'm back from my retreat and am just settling into life again. I have some great stories to share with you, but I'd rather focus on the snow for now.  And pancakes.

Wherever you are, I hope you are warm and safe.  Bonus points if you get to spend time with those you love and eat good food together.  It's that kind of day.  With schools, offices, and many roads closed in Seattle, it's safe to call today a Snow Day.

Ashley and I couldn't get the thought of warm pancakes out of our heads so we went about making some.  I pulled out my stack of cookbooks from the library and came across a simple recipe in Vegan Yum Yum.  Ashley decided to make an old family recipe and braved the snow by foot to secure some buttermilk and eggs.

I kept trying to convince her to have some of my pancakes, or at least to use some soy milk and egg-replacer so that she wouldn't have to leave the house.  After all of her brave efforts, half of her pancakes burned and all of them turned out lopsided.  She joked that I should picture her pancakes here just to make my vegan ones look even better.  I'll spare you the sad sight and show you a cute snowman instead. 

Serves 2.

Pancakes (Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum)
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs coconut oil
1 Tbs agave syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Add the soy milk to a blender, followed by the spelt flour, all-purpose flour, oil, agave, baking powder, extract,  and salt.  Blend for a few seconds until combined.  Scrape down any dry flour stuck to the side and blend again.

You can use the batter immediately or refrigerate over night.  If using the batter the next morning, add 1-2 tablespoons of water, and then blend to mix.  This thins the batter, which thickens overnight. 

Compote:
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend about half of your cranberries with the maple syrup and vanilla extract to create a smooth sauce.  Add this sauce to a pan with your remaining cranberries and blueberries.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve over pancakes.  

Note: you can easily substitute strawberries or other berries that you might have on hand.  I just happened to have blueberries and cranberries in my freezer.