Apple Empanadas

These are fun to make and supergreat for a fall mexican food party. And I think Dresch-approved? (derived from this and this.)

Apple Empanadas

4 baking apples
1 1/3 cups sugar
about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3 oz of cream cheese
1 cup flour

Make the dough the night before:

Mix butter and cream cheese and then mix in flour. Roll into a ball. Leave over night in the fridge.

The next day:

Take dough out of fridge 1/2 hour before making. Mine was still hard after this, so I softened it in the food processor with a little warm water.

Making the filling:

1. Peel, core and chop apples into little pieces.
2. Mix with one cup sugar and a tsp. of cinnamon and dash of nutmeg.
3. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until soft. Cool.

Making the empanadas:

1. Roll out dough on floured surfaces and cut into little 3-4 inch discs. I didn't have a cookie cutter so used the bottom of a 28 ounce can of tomatoes.

2. Add a small spoonful of filling to the center of each and moisten the dough around the filling with a little water. Seal together into mini pie.

3. Bake for about 15 minutes.

4. Roll warm empanadas in cinnamon sugar and done!

Hi Pro Glow Granola

I don't know how many granola recipes I read before I finally made some on my own. It's so bonehead easy and such a good deal, I really can't imagine going back unless it's some special granola "varietal". What's great about making it home is you control the fat and sweeteners. This one is very easy and yummy.

Hi Pro Glow Granola

Yields about 2 Quarts

1/2 pound whole oats
1/4 pound chopped walnuts
1/4 pound sunflower seeds
1/4 pound pumpkin seeds
2 t. Chinese 5 Spice Powder
1/3 C grapeseed oil
1/2 C grade B maple syrup
1/4 pound dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350
In large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except cranberries. In a liquid measuring cup, combine liquids and pour into bowl, stirring to combine all ingredients. Spread mixture on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Stir and return to oven for another 7-10 minutes or until crispy, but be careful not to burn.

Let cool, add dried cranberries and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Roasted Ratatouille

This is a super easy recipe for your end of summer vegetable bounty. Because many of the vegetables here fall into the nightshade category of vegetables which are thought to increase inflamation and acid reflux in some people. Traditionally cuisines heavy in nightshades such as those in Italy and India serve them with dairy which seems to balance these issues. Anyway, I love to eat ratatouille as a side dish to any meal or instead of potatoes with my eggs. It's equally delicious room temperature as it is warm, so it's a perfect picnic dish.

Roasted Ratatouille

About 4 servings

1 medium eggplant medium dice
5 plum tomatoes medium dice
1 zucchini medium dice
1 yellow squash medium dice
1 large or 2 small red peppers, medium dice
1 large or 2 small onions, cut in whole or half slices
4 cloves garlic, rough chop
2 t. salt
1/3 C. olive oil
cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450
In a bowl, toss all vegetables with salt, oil and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet, and let roast for 15 minutes, stir vegetables, return to oven for another 15 minutes or until soft and well roasted.

Serve warm or at room temperature

Onion, Garlic, and Potato soup

The last couple weeks our farmshare has been all onion, garlic, potato, and tomatoes. been kinda short on greens.

anyways, portia ate the tomatoes (they are the one food i despise) and i cooked up this soup:

I put on 6 pints of water to boil and added bouillon to taste, but next time i think i will use stock.

i preheated the oven to 400

i cut three bulbs of local organic heirloom garlic in half across, not vertically, drizzled them with olive oil and salt. put them in a baking pan. i cut up six local organic yellow onions in quarters and also drizzled them with olive oil, then put them in the pan with the garlic, and stuck the whole mess in the oven for 20 minutes.

I fried 36 ounces of unpeeled local organic baby red potatoes in olive oil until they began to brown, then put them in the pan with the water/bouillon "stock". i let it boil until the potatoes just began to go soft, then added the garlic and onions, then boiled it another 15 minutes or until the potatoes were the desired consistency. by letting the potatoes go soft, i got a very creamy soup without having to use any dairy products at all.

very simple but delicious. i might try it with ground turkey next time, and maybe experiment with throwing in a couple spices.

World's Quickest Asian Slaw

I ate it so fast I forgot to take a pic. This is easy and delicious and a great way to get some raw in your diet!

1 head napa cabbage chopped
1 carrot julienned (small little sliced, better than shredded, you need a little crunch)
3 T. chopped peanuts (mine were salted and had a little lime zest)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 t. sea salt
1/4 t. cayenne

Toss ingredients together in a bowl. Let marinate for at least an hour and server. If you don't eat it for a day it will still be crunchy and yummy!

sunburst squash

Donna and I have a very prolific sunburst squash (a.k.a. scallop or patty pan squash) plant and i am looking for new and creative ways to cook them. any ideas?

Rice Bread from scratch for bread machine

1 cup water
1/3 cup milk (or milk-like product - I use oat milk)
2 eggs (or 3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 4 TB water)
1 tsp apple cider vineger
4 TB oil (I use canola)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup white rice flour
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum)
2 tsp quick rise yeast

put all the ingredients in the bread machine in the exact order listed. when you put in the flour on top of the liquids, try to spread it around so it covers all of the liquids underneath - it seems to make a difference. set the machine on "grain" setting or whatever setting cooks bread for a little longer than the "regular" setting.

keep the bread in a plastic bag and refrigerate after about a day, then slice and freeze after about 3 or 4 days (it can last a long time in the freezer).

i like to dip it in oil with garlic and salt.