Chai Green Tea Granola

February 6, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I love cereal. When I was younger, it was breakfast every single morning. I loved the crunch of the cereal mixed with icy cold milk. If I was hungry for a snack I would have some cereal. If I was feeling lazy, cereal became an easy lunch or dinner. Saturday mornings were full of cartoons and sugary cereal. And despite the fact that my mom made the rule of only one bowl of “junk” cereal on Saturday’s, my sister and I definitely had more than one. Sorry mom.

Once I started eating better, I dropped boxed cereal. Most cereal is full of sugar and other not so pleasant ingredients, even the so-called “healthy” ones. There are a few good cereals out there, but they are few and far between as well as very expensive. I decided that I could make my own cereal for half the cost and less ingredients.

Mission accomplished. I love this cereal and it hits the spot when I am craving the crunchy goodness of cereal and milk. It is also a great topping for oatmeal or just grab a handful as a snack! It isn’t overly sweet, but the chai seasonings make this granola full of flavor. You probably have most of these ingredients on hand, so make some delicious granola!

Chai Green Tea Granola

2 cups thick rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (you can use raw, I just happened to have roasted on hand)
2 tbsp hemp seeds
3 chai green tea bags
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup maple syrup (you can also use honey)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1. Preheat oven to 250. In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients, not including the tea and cinnamon.

2. In a smaller bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. Cut open the tea bags and add into the wet mix. Add in the cinnamon and whisk everything together until completely combined.

3. Pour the wet mix over the dry mix and stir everything to coat it well. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Spread the granola out on the baking sheet in a single layer.

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Take out the granola and stir. Bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. If the granola is still a little wet, bake for another 5 minutes.

5. Take out of the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire rack to dry. Once fully cooled place in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

There you go! Granola that isn’t full of a ton of sugar or unpronounceable ingredients or a small fortune. I like to eat this with almond milk as well as sprinkled on top of cooked steel cut oats. It doesn’t last long around here, so make sure that you have plenty to go around!

Keep It Simple Series: Healthy Flavor

February 4, 2015February 4, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Week 4! I’m actually starting to like doing these videos. At first I was nervous because I had never done anything like this before and if you know me I am not an in-front-of-the-camera kind of gal. But I am starting to get into a groove and enjoying the whole process of making these videos for you guys.

How about you? Do you like the videos? Are there any topics that you would like me to cover? Let me know in the comments so that I can make this blog work for you!

If you listen carefully you can hear Olaf (my kitten) meowing at me and knocking things over. He likes to have my attention every single moment of the day so he gets confused when I’m talking to the camera and not to him. He’s just a peach that way….

Balsamic Cauliflower Bites

February 1, 2015March 19, 2015 / ktbuchs87

There are a ton of different cauliflower “wings” recipes online. From buffalo wings to spicy wings, there are plenty of choices. I wanted to try my hand at these wings and decided to go with a little bit of a sweeter flavor. I ended up with a new favorite meal, especially for Adam!

These are also a GREAT party food, especially for the Super Bowl this weekend. They are a healthier choice than some of the traditional football party foods but no less delicious. I would say these are more reminiscent of Chinese takeout than chicken wings, but that is not a bad thing! Whatever they remind you of, they are really delicious and if you’re anything like my husband you’ll inhale these and ask for more!

Balsamic Cauliflower Bites

Sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp liquid aminos, tamari, or soy sauce
scant 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Cauliflower

1 large head of cauliflower
1/2 cup brown rice flour (I tried chickpea flour but it didn’t turn out as crisp)
1/2 cup almond milk or other non-dairy milk
1 tsp chinese 5 spice powder

1. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients and set aside. Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

2. Cut the cauliflower into bite size florets, removing stems and leaves. Whisk together the brwon rice flour, chinese 5 spice, and almond milk.

3. Place cauliflower in a large bowl and pour batter over them. Toss to make sure all florets are covered.

4. Arrange the cauliflower on the baking sheet in a single layer. Make sure they aren’t too crowded or they will not get crispy. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are starting to get brown.

5. Remove the cauliflower and place back into the large bowl. Pour balsamic sauce and toss to coat. Pour back onto baking sheet and arrange in a single layer again. It will seem really watery, but that’s fine it will thicken up as it cooks.

6. Bake for another 10 minutes flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before digging in!

I have served these over brown rice noodles as well as brown rice. I have to say I liked it over the rice much better than the noodles. You can serve it over whatever you would like and even sprinkle some sesame seeds over them for a crunchy garnish! Serve these at your Super Bowl party and you will be the talk of the town. Unless of course we have another deflate gate….

Hope you enjoy the game… and the commercials!

Baked Chickpea Tofu with Creamy Tomato Sauce

January 23, 2015 / ktbuchs87

While I don’t eat meat, I don’t really eat that many soy products either. I am a huge fan of tempeh and miso because they are fermented soy and have healthy probiotics, but other than that I don’t eat soy. I like to make as much of my food as possible, because then I can control the ingredients and it is a lot cheaper. So when I started seeing things about chickpea tofu, I was intrigued.

I love chickpeas in all their forms and had seen a lot of things made with chickpea flour but I could never find it any stores near me. The other day as I was wandering the aisles of my grocery store (yes, I like to just stroll through the grocery store. I know that’s weird, but I’m weird so it’s all good) I spotted chickpea flour for about $2. I snapped it up and immediately started thinking of things that I could make. This chickpea tofu was one of the easiest and most versatile dishes, so I started there.

Not only is it easy to make it can function in pretty much the exact same way as regular soy tofu. I’m still experimenting with a few different ways to use chickpea tofu, but I wanted to start sharing it with you. I love the flavor of the tofu and you can season it in any way that you want and it will absorb those flavors. It might look like this recipe will take forever to make, but once the tofu is done it’s really just a matter of putting everything together.

Enough talking let’s get onto the food!

Baked Chickpea Tofu with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Chickpea tofu- There are a few methods out there, but this is the one that worked the best for me.

1 cup chickpea flour
3 cups water, divided
1-2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, turmeric, and 1 cup of water. Whisk until smooth.

2. In a medium saucepan bring the remaining two cups of water to a boil. While your water is heating up, lightly oil an 8 x 8 baking dish and set aside

3. Whisk the chickpea mixture into the boiling water making sure there are no lumps. Lower heat and keep whisking the chickpea mixture for about 8 to 10 minutes until it’s thick and glossy.

4. Pour the chickpea mixture into the oiled pan and let cool on the counter. Once cool, keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.

Baked Tofu and Creamy Tomato Sauce

Chickpea Tofu
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp italian seasonings
pepper to taste
1 batch of my tomato sauce, or a jar of your favorite sauce
1 cup full fat coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 and take your chickpea tofu out of the fridge and remove from baking dish. If you used enough oil it should slide out easily. Blot the bottom of the tofu with a paper towel to absorb some of the excess water. Cut tofu into bite size cubes and place in a bowl

2. Line a baking dish with a Silpat or parchment paper. Drizzle a little olive oil over tofu and sprinkle with the seasonings. Shake the bowl to cover the tofu with the oil and seasonings and then spread in an even layer on baking dish.

3. Bake for 25 minutes. While tofu is baking, heat tomato sauce in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. When it is just simmering, stir in 1 cup of coconut milk. Heat through and then cover and turn off heat.

4. Remove tofu from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Plate the tofu and pour the tomato sauce over and enjoy!

It does seem like there are a lot of steps to this meal, but if you prepare the tofu ahead of time then this meal is a simple fix. I made this on a Monday night and it was a perfect meal on a chilly night. Warm, filling, and tasty!

I’m going to be bringing you some more chickpea tofu/flour recipes over the next few weeks, but with the super bowl next weekend I have a special treat for you! My balsamic cauliflower bites are amazing and sure to be a hit at your party!

Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend everyone!

Tomato Sauce

January 22, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

This is my go to sauce. I make it large batches so that I have some on hand when I need a tasty and healthy tomato sauce!

Tomato Sauce

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp basil
1-2 tsp fennel seeds
1 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (I use no salt added)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
vegetable broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat saute onions until soft and translucent. Add in half your minced garlic and saute another minute.

2. Add in oregano, basil, and fennel and stir to combine. Then add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and stir to combine. Using a potato masher, mash the sauce a little to crush the diced tomato chunks. Depending on how thick or thin you want your sauce add in a little or a lot of broth or water. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your taste

3. Bring the sauce to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You can either use this right away or cool completely and store in clean jars in your fridge. Enjoy!