Early Season Strawberry Jamming

May 20, 2013 Leave a Comment

Eeeh! I am excited…this weekend is Vida Vegan Con 2013, in Portland, Oregon. You can all put on your jealous hats ;-) I snagged a ticket from the awesome folks at So Delicious a few weeks back! I attended the first Con in 2011, and I have a feeling this one will be even better. Hope to learn more, meet even more new friends/network and just have a good time! I am sure I’ll get some blogging in as well.

vvc-180-x-150-1

It’s middle of May so it’s time for canning season to start, especially before it gets really hot! And what better than strawberry jams? I know I preach it, but canning is simple. It only seems scary! And strawberry jam is pretty much fool-proof. The worst is if you somehow mess it up…you’ll have strawberry syrup, stored in the fridge. But I can tell you that these two recipes won’t fail. Lets say that I slightly cheated. Instead of my usual trickier Pomona’s Pectin method I used Ball®’s revamped Classic Pectin, which I had come across when our local hardware store opened their massive new store recently. One thing they have is a huge canning and preserving section, it is glorious!

I had come to avoid commercial pectin due to rampant use of preservatives in it. Theirs isn’t perfect, it still has dextrose, but is minus the nasty potassium sorbate. On a side note, it seems that Kraft® has changed theirs as well. The MCP and Sure-Jell dry pectin boxes are now free of preservatives as well. The Certo liquid pectin has it though. So read boxes! But get out there and have fun. If you have a few hours you can easily make a years worth of jam that your family will love. I put in about 2 hours and now have 15 8-ounce jars stored in my pantry :-)
SJ1

 

On this recipe: it is a full sugar one, with more pectin added. If you like really thick, really sweet, this is one to try. I used a variety of sugars, instead of boring granulated sugar, to give the jam a deeper flavor. You can use granulated instead for a lighter flavor.

Lemon Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

Fill water canner about ¾ way full with water, place jars in water. Bring to a low boil over medium heat as you prepare jam. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil, add bands, sterilize, set aside on a clean kitchen towel. Turn saucepan off, add in lids and set aside.

Add strawberries, lemon juice and zest to a 8 quart tall saucepan, mix well. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling that can’t be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary.

Sterilize a clean canning funnel and ladle in the simmering water. Pull jars out of hot water with tongs, draining as you go. Lay out on a clean/dry kitchen towel.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving ¼ inch head space, using a funnel for less mess. Wipe rim with a damp paper towel. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Place jars in your canning rack (how many fit depends on your rack size/shape). lower into canner, making sure the jars are completely covered with water. Turn up to high and bring to a boil covered.

Process with water boiling for 10 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter, set on a dry kitchen towel and cool. Listen for popping ‘pings’, check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed. If any haven’t sealed, refrigerate those jar(s) and use up within a month. Otherwise, canned jam is good for a year, store preferably in a cool and dark area.

Makes about 9 8-ounce jars.

SJ2

3 ingredient jam. Simple, time-tested, easy but with a twist: using sucanat sweetener instead of traditional granulated sugar. It gives the jam a neat depth of flavor!

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

Fill water canner about ¾ way full with water, place jars in water. Bring to a low boil over medium heat as you prepare jam. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil, add bands, sterilize, set aside on a clean kitchen towel. Turn saucepan off, add in lids and set aside.

Add strawberries to an 8 quart tall saucepan, mix well. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary.

Sterilize a clean canning funnel and ladle in the simmering water. Pull jars out of hot water with tongs, draining as you go. Lay out on a clean/dry kitchen towel.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving ¼ inch head space, using a funnel for less mess. Wipe rim with a damp paper towel. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Place jars in your canning rack (how many fit depends on your rack size/shape). lower into canner, making sure the jars are completely covered with water. Turn up to high and bring to a boil covered.

Process with water boiling for 10 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter, set on a dry kitchen towel and cool. Listen for popping ‘pings’, check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed. If any haven’t sealed, refrigerate those jar(s) and use up within a month. Otherwise, canned jam is good for a year, store preferably in a cool and dark area.

Makes about 6 8-ounce jars.

SJ3

Jam makes wonderful gifts…just make sure you remind your lucky recipient that if they follow the old school rule of returning the jar and band, they just might get more! ;-) And don’t forget to mark your lids with what is in there, along with the month/year!

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: Wholesome Sweeteners provided us with the sweeteners used in these recipes.

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Simplicity: Individual Margherita Pizzas

May 18, 2013 4 Comments

My inspiration for this dinner came from a magazine that simply called to me, as I waited to check out:

goodnfresh

Better Homes & Gardens puts out a line of special publications, that are more book-like in a magazine format. Everyone I have found has been worth the cost, especially when I get them heavily discounted at Costco I might add…anyhow, this one was Better Homes and Gardens Good & Fresh Magazine Summer 2013, which features plenty of vegetarian and even vegan-friendly recipes. It was hard to resist the lure of the cover photo!

This year I planted 4 tomato plants, 3 of which are small cherry sized fruits. They are flowering, which leaves me oh-so-happy, dreaming of my (hopefully) bumper crops to come. I love fresh tomatoes, especially on a crisp, cracker-like crust. Where the tomatoes are just warm enough to release their juices but barely cooked.

PizzaM1

Individual Margherita Pizzas

Ingredients:

  • 1 batch pizza dough (see below)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pound fresh mozzarella, quartered and thinly sliced (if in water, drain and pat dry)
  • 1 tub cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • Ground black pepper
  • Additional olive oil
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Add oil to a small bowl, brush liberally over two baking sheets. Divide dough into halves (4 pieces total). Roll each piece out to about a 9×6″ rectangle on a lightly floured surface, transfer 2 to each sheet  Lightly pinch the edges to make a crust. Brush dough with remaining olive oil and liberally prick dough with fork tines. Bake 1 sheet at a time, for about 20 minutes, until golden.

Cover each crust with the cheese, smooshing it as needed to fill it. Sprinkle tomatoes across, crack some black pepper and a drizzle of additional olive oil across the top. Bake for about 7 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Take out, sprinkle basil on top and cut up.

Makes 4 pizzas, serving about 6 people.

Notes:

I used half the dough and cheese to make 2 of these pizzas, then made the guys two other pizzas that featured the cheese, mushrooms, onions and bell pepper, that were lightly salted and sautéed until golden. Kirk just doesn’t like raw tomatoes, which I love.

PizzaM2

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

  • 2½-3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup warm water (120-130°)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Combine 1¼ cups of the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add water and oil, whisk until smooth, then beat for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour with a wooden spoon.

Lightly flour a work surface, knock dough out and knead for 8 minutes, until dough is elastic and smooth, adding additional flour as needed.

Divide dough in half, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Follow recipe above.

~Sarah

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Late Spring Pantry Stocking: Dried Apples

May 17, 2013 4 Comments

I love nothing more than shiny glass jars, full of crisp fruit slices!
Applerings

What happens when you forget about a dozen Washington State organic apples in your refrigerator and 2 have gone bad? Grumble and get busy using them up so you don’t waste anymore food! And being that it is late spring, my pantry stores are looking pretty thin, with nary a hand-dehydrated apple to be seen. They got eaten months ago , where as the prunes just sit there mournfully, hoping that just for once…I’ll pick them. Not. Dried apples are so tasty when ripped/chopped up and added to oatmeal….

Apples2

I use a L’Equip 306200 500-Watt 6-Tray Food Dehydrator, Gray for my drying. I have found it to be a hard-working machine for the past 4 or 5 years. It works great and looks good – always a bonus. So I got it down and washed up the apples.

Last fall I came across a Norpro Apple Master Parer, Slicer and Corer on mega-clearance – it was marked down and then was 50% off the lowest price. I paid under $10 for it.

866r

At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, due to it having a suction cup base. When I was a kid we always used clamp-on grinders and whatnot, the suction cup ones never worked well. So finally, I pulled down the Applemaster 866R and set it up. My fears were unwarranted. Norpro has a pretty good track record with me for their tools, and this works great! It worked so well that Walker wandered in and took over. The 3-year-old peeled, cored and sliced 6 out of the 10 apples! And was upset there were no more to do. Hah!

Why did I wait so long to get one of these? Yeah, it is a uni-tasker…but wow does it work! What is a boring and messy chore (peeling, coring, slicing) goes by quickly. The machine quickly cleans up as well. All I am is saying…is if you like eating apples, pears, potatoes, onions..get one of these! And I wasted a lot less produce with the efficient peeling/slicing, but more so, my slices were actually uniform for once. Which means my apple slices dried evenly for the first time.

So the recipe? Nah, more a guide really!

Home-dried Apple Rings

  • Apples, preferably organic
  • 1 large lemon

Scrub apples gently to remove waxes and dry.

Fill a large mixing bowl with cool water, squeeze lemon juice in it. As you peel, core and slice apples, toss into the bowl to prevent browning.

Drain apples, spread out on mesh lined drying racks. Dry at 135-145° till dry. Mine took 14 hours. Let cool and store in glass jars, in a cool/dark place. For best storage, shake jar every month to distribute any remaining moisture. You don’t want your dried fruit to be desert hard, a little moisture is fine, shaking the jar keeps everything good.

So how do you know if your fruit is actually dry? Rip a piece in half and try it. Your fruit should be leathery, thin and have no tacky spots on top, bottom or inside. It is something you have to just learn more than be shown ;-) But don’t be scared of it, it is pretty hard to mess up dehydrating.

~Sarah

Filed Under: cooking, Dehydrating, Plant Based Diet Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Comfort Food Done My Way – Mac n’ Cheese

May 16, 2013 7 Comments

Last week Kirk was gone on another business trip which left me with 3 kids, stuck at home during a miserable heat wave (which was pretty odd for our area). I was feeling pretty far down. And tired. Alistaire has 8 teeth coming in, all at once, which yeah, has made for a “joyful” week (and it is till going on – they are his first molars!). He was (and is still) awake every couple of hours, every night, meaning I wasn’t functioning pretty hotly. Feeling sorry for myself all I craved was a big bowl o’ mac n’ cheese. Nothing vegan. I wanted it all, full octane. But with a twist….I adapted a recipe for cheese sauce I had seen on a box of corn starch…and ended up with the silkiest, smoothest cheese sauce ever. It was amazing tasting. A flour roux? Never again. From now on I am making it this way. No gritty, heavy texture. As in delicious and simple. And bonus? The sauce is gluten-free as well, so it can be paired over your favorite carb besides ol’ wheaty pasta.

Mac

No diet food here. I won’t lie: it had butter, milk, cheese, sour cream….yeah, basically a large cholesterol pit to wallow in. Some girls eat tubs of ice cream, not me. I just want carb heaven ;-)

Mac2

Mac n’ Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 13.25 ounce package multi-grain elbow macaroni
  • 1 large head broccoli
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
  • 8 ounces baby ‘bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 cups whole milk, preferably organic
  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • ½ cup sour cream

Directions:

Trim the florets off broccoli, peel the stalks, discard peels and thinly slice stalks.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add macaroni, cook for time on package, adding broccoli for last 3 minutes, drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, onion, mushrooms and bell pepper, sauté until tender and caramelizing.

Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over medium. Add butter, melt, whisk in corn starch, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in milk, whisking constantly, until smooth. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, boil for 1 minutes.

Take off heat, whisk in cheese until smooth, then stir in sour cream. Taste for salt, add more if needed.

Reserve a small amount of vegetables, toss hot pasta with the rest, in the large skillet. Stir in cheese sauce, gently fold until coated. Serve bowls of mac n’ cheese with the reserved vegetables on top.

Serves 4 large servings or 6 smaller ones.

~Sarah

PS: This could be veganized rather easily – Earth Balance Buttery stick, Dayia cheeze, vegan sour cream and unsweetened non-dairy milk. But hey, it wasn’t what I was craving ;-)

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Lemon-Strawberry Bread

May 14, 2013 3 Comments

Walker was beyond happy to see this last week:

Strawberry

One tiny ripe strawberry. First of the year! The heat wave earlier this week paid off, the strawberries are putting on flowers like crazy. I have planted a mix of June Bearers and Ever Bearers so that the kids get a supply for months to pick – having counted today I gave up at 100 plants. Oops. I think I went crazy this year but really, can one have too many strawberry plants when they have hungry toddlers and squirrels? I figure the number is between 150 and 175 :-) This is what makes gardening worth it: “Mama, more stwaberry?”

SB2

I had an idea for a strawberry bread, a quick bread, that would be adult in taste, but Walker would scarf it down. My first try tasted wonderful but was too wet and I baked it in the wrong size loaf pan. The big issue was I used frozen strawberries that try. So back to the kitchen for version 2 with fresh berries! Use a really slippery non-stick pan, oil liberally and let rest before removing the loaf to avoid it falling apart, it is a moist cake bread. Oh whatever, even if it falls apart and isn’t all pretty it is still great tasting….really, really great tasting!

SB1

Lemon-Strawberry Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 6-ounce containers strawberry yogurt
  • 1 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 lemons zested and juiced (reserve juice)
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pound fresh strawberries, chopped, divided
  • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, liberally oil a non-stick standard bread pan (9″x5″ size). Cut a piece of parchment paper to run lengthwise, place in and lightly oil the paper.

Measure out 1½ cups strawberries, reserve. Strain lemon juice, add 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon sugar and remaining strawberries into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium, cook for a few minutes, remove from heat and cool. Strain and set aside.

Whisk dry ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk yogurt through olive oil till smooth. Stir in dry ingredients until just mixed.

Toss the 1½ cups strawberries with flour, fold into batter. Scrape gently into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, until a butter knife comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, turn out and brush the glaze over the bottom and side. Let sit for 15 or so minutes, flip over and glaze top. Finish cooling before slicing. Store covered.

Makes 1 loaf.

~Sarah

PS: Sorry for not posting yesterday, we had a freak wind/thunderstorm that knocked our power out most of the day and night. It was a pretty intense storm!

FTC Disclaimer: We received complimentary product used in the development of this recipe.

Filed Under: baking, cooking, Dessert, Gardening Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Cookbook Review: The Diabetes Prevention and Management Cookbook (& Recipe)

May 9, 2013 Leave a Comment

With diabetes on a rapid rise in Western cultures, and from first hand experience with it in my family, I was happy to review:
TheDiacook

The Diabetes Prevention and Management Cookbook: Your 10-Step Plan for Nutrition and Lifestyle, recently published this year. I really wish there had been books of this quality years ago, when my Mother was alive. It would have been invaluable for her health. Not covering just recipes, but also why and what to eat, how to be healthier and what to watch for with diabetes. Especially helpful were the sections on how to eat meals balanced and just why some foods are better but also what to avoid. I passed the book on to a friend whose mother in law is diabetic and am hoping she will get a lot of use out of it.

On the recipes…there is a wide variety, some featuring meat, but many are plant-based friendly. As well, those featuring meat actually have normal sized portions. And better, the recipes watch sodium, saturated fat and use whole grains.

ChocPudding

Creamy Chocolate Banana Pudding (From page 368)

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 cups milk (used unsweetened almond milk)
  • 2 Tbsp Erythritol sweetener (or equivalent of 2 Tbsp sugar, using favorite sugar replacement)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 bananas, sliced or diced

Directions:

Using a fine sieve, sift cocoa powder, cornstarch and sugar into a medium saucepan.

Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until misture comes to a full boil and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in Erythritol and vanilla.

Divide between 4 custard bowls, chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Just before serving, top pudding with banana slices.

Serves 4.

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received a review copy of this book.

Filed Under: cooking, Dessert, Cookbooks, Book Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Artichoke & Two Tomato Spaghetti

May 8, 2013 2 Comments

Taking a break from all my garden postings of late…lets talk carb-fixes & a quick dinner! Like last night where my afternoon slipped by and suddenly it was nearly 6 pm and I had 3 hungry kids staring me down. We ate and I went back to work outside. It has compelled to get these projects done! Although at times it feels like all I do is move dirt and rocks from one pile to another pile and then back again….but I have this image in my mind – and I want to get there :-)
Artipasta1

Artichoke & Two Tomato Spaghetti

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 10 ounces grape tomatoes, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 28 ounce can unsalted tomatoes with basil
  • 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Artipasta2

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil, add spaghetti and cook for time on package. Reserve ¼ cup of cooking water, drain pasta. Return pasta to cooking pot, toss with Parmesan cheese and water.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium. Add oil and onion, sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in grape tomatoes, sauté for 5 minutes, pressing gently to pop. Stir in garlic, cook for a minute.

Add tomatoes, artichokes, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower heat to medium-low and simmer gently. Break up tomatoes with a potato masher. Taste for seasoning.

Toss hot pasta with sauce, serve with more cheese if desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

~Sarah

Filed Under: cooking, Dinner Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Little Fruit Tarts (Mama n’ Me Cooking)

May 6, 2013 10 Comments

stepbystep

Walker saw The Children’s Step-by-step Cook Book at the library and asked to check it out. He looked at the photos and I asked what he’d like to eat. He wanted tarts, which were actually quite easy to make.

The tart recipe is open-ended. You can use whatever fruit you enjoy. We used two bananas – that we peeled and split in half for the banana shaped ones:

Tart2

Walker helped me wash a large plum and thinly slice it, drain a 15 ounce can of peaches, drain them and pat dry, then sliced most of them:

Tarts1

Fruit Tarts

Ingredients:

  • 1 box puff pastry
  • Fresh fruit or fruit juice packed canned fruit
  • ¼ cup melted butter or Earth Balance Buttery stick
  • Granulated sugar
  • Apricot Preserves

Directions:

Thaw puff pastry in its box for 40 minutes on the counter.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, preheat oven to 425°.

Lightly flour work surface, lay out one sheet of puff pastry at a time and roll out to 1/8″ thick. Cut out desired shapes (whatever size you like. We used a combination of biscuit cutters, cutting around bowls and cutting around whole bananas). Transfer cut out shapes to baking sheets. You should be able to fit each sheet of puff pastry on one baking tray.

Brush the top of the pastry cut outs with melted butter, then arrange thinly sliced fruit on top. Brush again with butter, then liberally sprinkle with sugar. Bake one tray at a time, for 20 to 25 minutes, until pastry is golden.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Melt a bit of apricot preserves, liberally brush over tarts, let set before enjoying.

PS: Oddly enough they taste even better frozen and then partially thawed.

~Sarah

Filed Under: baking, children, Cookbooks, cooking, Dessert Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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