Simple granola

2 cup rolled oats
Dash cinnamon
Dash sea salt
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds

Mix all ingredients well. lay out on a baking sheet lined w parchment paper. Cook at 300f for 30-40 min, or until the top layer is toasted -golden brown.

Sprouting

I have been sprouting a lot lately and have been finding it a nice addition to salads, soups, and more.  Even a great snack.  It’s the easiest way of getting fresh, enzyme rich foods into our diet.

Items to sprout:
Chick Peas (garbanzo)
Mung Beans
Lentils (green or red)
Sunflower seeds

1/4 C beans
3.5 C pure water
opt.  a few drops of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide

Soak overnight in a covered Jar.

Rinse with pure water and a drop of  hydrogen peroxide (optional)

Drain out the water & cover the top of the jar with a cheese cloth & rubber band, or sprouting lid.  Turn over into a bowl, on an angle to allow the remaining water to drain, and air to flow in.  Let sit this way for 8-12 hours.

Most sprouts will be ready to eat at this point, with a small tail already sprouted out.  Some sprouts, like lentil, you may have to rinse, drain and let sit 1 more time.

Alfalfa Seeds will take 2-3 days, be sure to rinse and drain 2x a day. Also cover the jar with a towel the first day to reduce the amount of light.  Make approx 1 Tablespoon of alfalfa at a time, since it needs lots of space.  And the first soaking you only need enough water to cover the alfalfa plus a half an inch.

Nuts, like almonds, need only be soaked overnight and not sprouted.

For more info about sprouting, check out: http://sproutpeople.com/
they have exact info on how to sprout all types of foods.

Almond Yogurt & Cheese

Using the left over pulp from the almond milk

Blend with 1 cup water and 1 tsp of probiotics

Strain through a cheese cloth, place liquid in a separate covered bowl at room temperature for approx 7 hours.  Then refrigerate, this will make a yogurt.

Let the pulp sit out in the cheese cloth at room temperature, covered for 2 hours, then place a weight on in to get out access liquid.  Let sit for another 5 hours. Ready to be served, add herbs or spices for different taste cheeses.  Refrigerate.

 

Almond Milk

1/4 C Raw Almonds
1 C Pure Water

Soak Almonds for 8-12 hours, they will plump. Discard water and remove skins, they should slide off easily.

Use less water for a thicker consistency.

1/2 C soaked almonds
2 C Pure water
2-3 Dates
Optional: Pinch of sea salt, nutmeg, cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a high speed blender. I use a hand blender, a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Greenstar will make it a smoother and make more milk, but with a good strainer either way will work.

Strain & serve.
-A fine mesh metal strainer will work however you may find pieces floating at the top after it settles, it is also takes some work to strain it all, as the pulp will line the strainer and clog it, I stir with a spoon to let the liquid go through.
-Nut milk bags are great however they can be expensive and hard to clean.
-The best nut milk strainer I have used is a tea towel, also called a flour towel. I bought a pack of them in white cotton for $6/10 towels (I’m sure they can be found organic I bleached too). I lay the towel over a large strainer or funnel, laying over a large bowl or container to catch the liquid. Once it’s all strained ball up the towel with the pulp in a ball and squeeze out the liquid.

Stays for approx 3 days in tightly closed container in the fridge.

The left over pulp can be used to make almond yogurt and almond cheese. It can also be added to batters for baked goods, especially cakes and cookies. I freeze the pulp in a silicon mold (any kind will do), and save it for baking recipes.