quick | Squash and Awe

I am a chronic meal skipper, so at the start of every new year, my promises to myself are always about food. I try to challenge myself to prepare ahead of time, and then have healthy grab and go items. Eating homegrown is so satisfying, and it can be an important way to retrain yourself into new ways of eating things from your garden. But even knowing that, prepping takes time. So I have created strategies to have healthy options at the ready.

One of my success stories is a no bake bar that is comprised of raw foods. This recipe uses two farm ingredients, banana and pumpkin seeds. I am drying macadamia nuts right now, and in the future, those would make a lovely addition.

I use a mix of ingredients to combine into a snack bar full of energy providing nutrients. In general terms, the additions are of two main categories: ingredients that will make things stick, and ingredients that need to be stuck together. Prep time under 10 minutes plus refrigeration.

“sticky ingredients” can be:

coconut milk, almond milk, nut or seed butters, ripe banana

“things to stick ingredients” can be:

Oat bran, ground flax seed (these two or similar ones will create the body of the bar) dairy free or regular chocolate chips, seeds like chia, hemp, sunflower kernels, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes…

I then use carob or cocoa powder to flavor the lot.

Here is roughly my process:

Every time is different, but today, I put some pumpkin seeds through the grinder (or if using the food processor, I put them in whole), add in some sunflower kernels, chia/flax/hemp seeds, some coconut flakes (the big ones) some nuts, dairy free or regular chocolate chips, coconut milk, granola, almond milk, carob powder or cocoa powder. Added flax seed bran, and oat bran, and added bran until it was a good consistency to press into a pan.

I just put in what I have. I add only enough of the milks to smoosh it all together. I think the addition of a glob of almond butter and ripe smooshed banana makes the bars rich and satisfying. I then just press it into a square pan, and top with more coconut, pressing the coconut into the top of the bars.

I have always mixed this in a large bowl, but today I made it in a food processor since I had it out and ready to go. I find that it is easy to use the back of a large spoon to press it all into the pan before topping with more coconut.

I then I cover the pan, and pop it into the fridge, and I will cut them into squares after a couple hours. I keep them in the fridge, and then put a couple in a travel container to carry with me. I keep key ingredients on hand so this takes just a few minutes. It could be served as a healthy desert too!

I should be making these every week….now there is a New Year’s resolution I can stick with!

No matter whether you like your meals spiced mildly or for maximum heat, here is a simple way to capture the delightful tastes of heirloom chili peppers. This ten minute process will allow you to keep some summer heat long after production stops, or for those of us with come and go chili seasons, it captures the bounty until it returns.

Ghost, Thai Dragon, Lemon Drop, Hawaiian, Fish, Cayenne, Banana, Jalapeno

When I returned from the Ozarks, there was a wide array waiting for me to select from. I decided to make a nice hot version with the sun ripened fresh chilis. You can make a mild oil by using mild green chilis, then up the heat with ripe ones. The olive oil diffuses the flavor in a way very different from hot sauce. I like to start with a couple handfuls of peppers fresh from the plants. I cut off the stem end, and reserve the cuttings for my fire-breathing flock of hens. Cayenne tends to be the top poultry pleaser. They often get into a scuffle over the pepper bits. I have read that it is healthy for them, just like chilis are for us.

Then simply drop the trimmed peppers into the food processor container that is fitted with the chopping blade. Be careful not to breathe in the crushed chili fumes, as it will irritate your lungs. Some people prefer to use safety glasses and gloves as well. This process allows the food processor to do most of the chopping, instead of you, but use caution regardless.

Pulse them to a fine chop, and add a bit of olive oil at the end, so to make the mixture easy to pour. Garlic lovers: peel and add a couple of cloves to the container and pulse them right along with the chilis.

With a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the container as you pour the chili mix into a clean 1/2 pint or pint jar. I make this by the pint, because I use it in so many things. It adds a refined chili infusion rather than over the top heat. Top off the jar with more good quality organic olive oil. Place on the lid, and shake lightly. I will leave this jar on the counter overnight for the flavor to set, then invert the jar onto a plate, and place in the refrigerator.

Inverting the mixture allows the chilis to be dispersed evenly

As the oil is refrigerated, it will solidify. Turning the jar every couple of hours, or at least once before it is solidified, will make the chilis more evenly dispersed. When I use up the top 1/2 of the jar, I often add more oil and mix it in with the glut of chilis that sunk to the bottom of the jar.

I like to take a heaping spoonful, and use it as you would use olive oil in any recipe. I use it mixed with basil, garlic, and rosemary to marinate my pumpkin slices on the grill. It is lovely mixed into stir fry, with greens, spaghetti sauce, and mixed into plain rice. The olive oil will return to liquid at room temperature, so spoon out what you need, and return the jar to the fridge for storage. Try dragging a piece of toasted garlic bread through it, or drizzling over pizza instead of pepper flakes. The uses are endless, and it will make a well seasoned meal in minutes. This oil should last a couple of months in the refrigerator. Mine rarely lasts, simply because it is a part of so much of my cooking. Enjoy this little bit from pepper paradise!

the pursuit of pumpkin