Whiteley Creek Homestead

After reducing the amount of honey and eliminating the oil called for in this recipe, without sacrificing flavor, these spelt bars are a nutritious tasty snack or grab-n-go breakfast. 

  

Spelt Crunch from Body + Soul Magazine May 2008

Serves 8.

1 ¼ cups spelt flakes cereal (I used 2 1/2 cups instead.)

½ cup dried cherries (I have used dried cranberries, raisins, and a combo of the two)

¼ cup sprouted or *ground flaxseeds (See note at bottom of recipe.)

¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans (I used walnuts.)

2 tbsp pistachios (I used 2 tbsp raw sunnies + 2 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds… they are a green color and can be found in food co-ops and the health food section of your local market. Pine nuts would be good, too.)

¼ tsp salt (omit this or not… it’s up to you.)

½ ¼ cup honey (preferably raw and unfiltered)

¼ cup natural peanut butter

1 tbsp walnut oil

½ tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°. Brush an 8×8 inch baking dish with oil, then line bottom and sides with a piece of parchment paper. (The oil makes the parchment paper adhere to the pan.) Brush paper with oil. In a bowl, combine spelt flakes, cherries, flaxseeds, pecans, pistachios, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine honey, peanut butter, oil , and vanilla. Heat just until melted. Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until golden and edges pull away from pan, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in pan. (Bars will become firm and crisper after cooling.) Using paper, lift bars out of pan. On a cutting board, cut into 8 pieces using a serrated knife. Note: I don't bother melting the honey and peanut butter or baking the mixture either. No need… there's nothing in the mix that needs to be cooked or baked and the cereal remains crispier in its unbaked form… and it simplifies the whole process.

* “Sproutman”, Steve Meyerowitz, doesn’t recommend sprouting flax for several reasons. He says, “Flaxseed is a wonderful seed with many health benefits. However flaxseed sprouts are very high in oxalic acid (which binds calcium) and, because of that, they have an extremely bitter taste. If that wasn’t discouragement enough, they are also gelatinous, which makes them hard to manage for most home sprouters. Also, one of the main benefits of flax, its soft fiber, which is great for soothing and cleansing the intestinal wall, disappears during germination. 

 

  

Ingredients: organic wholegrain spelt flakes, organic fruit juice concentrate (apple, pear or grape), sea salt, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and natural Vitamin E (to preserve freshness).

Mar. 4, 2009

Today's mileage: 0

Total monthly mileage for March: 6 miles (same as yesterday) 

Bible reading? Yes. 

My seeds for sprouting arrived in the mail today. I transferred them from their individual plastic shipping bags into 16 oz. glass jars that I have been saving… peanut butter, almond butter, and vegenaise. The one-pound bags of seed fill the jars to the brim with a little remaining in the bag that won't fit. I'll use that first.

 

 

After I filled my jars with each seed variety, I lined them up on my windowsill. (Click on the photo to enlarge it so you can see a closeup.) I'd prefer to leave them there just to happily gaze at, however they need to be placed in a more suitable storage location to preserve their viabililty. In the FAQ section on sproutman.com, there is a brief explanation on how to store seeds. "Seeds need to be kept cool and dry. Steady temperature control is better than large swings of seasonal high and low temps. But some seeds lose germination more than others even under the best of conditions. So unless you are preparing for an around the world boat trip, I recommend you only buy enough seeds to last you a few months at a time. Most seeds that you have purchased within the past year are likely to be good. Although you may have heard that some seeds such as alfalfa can last for many years, that is only true under the best of storage conditions. Moisture, air (oxidation), heat, and light are the enemies of seed. When you receive your seeds, remove them from their package and store them in a sealed jar. Make sure there is a rubber gasket to create a perfect seal inside the lid (as canning jar lids and my three kinds of recycled jars have). Keep moisture out at all costs. Store that jar in a dark, cool place. Refrigerator? Yes, if you have space, but beware of moisture in the refrigerator. Only some seeds benefit from refrigeration and only in the hottest and most humid climates. So refrigeration is not required. Freezing seeds is okay for some seeds but not for all." I'm going to store my jars in a kitchen cupboard.    

 

Mar. 2, 2009

Today's mileage: 2 mile walk

Total monthly mileage for March: 4 miles 

Bible reading? Complete. 

Today, this first day of March, I baked this month's themed cake for my Year-Round Monthly Cupcake/Cake Program. I chose to make a daffodil cake in honor of the American Cancer Society's annual Daffodil Days Fundraiser. In January, February, and early March, volunteer coordinators take orders for daffodils in appreciation of a contribution. Delivery to donors coincides with the beginning of spring usually the third week in March. "As one of the first flowers of spring, the daffodil is a symbol of hope. To the American Cancer Society, the daffodil represents the hope we all share for a future where cancer is no longer a life-threatening disease." I inserted the vintage ballerina cupcake pick/b-day candle holder because she looks like a warrior supporting a cause… in this case the fight against cancer… the purpose behind Daffodil Days.  

I first tried this Daffodil Cake, which is a yellow and white sponge cake, when my hens' prolific egg laying caused an overabundant supply, so this was a way to use a large number of eggs. On a "clean-o-meter" scale, this cake doesn't receive the highest score because of the use of cake flour and the amount of sugar required, but the egg whites and lack of butter/oil redeems it.

The cake has swirls of white and cheerful yellow… the colors of daffodils, therefore the name. The yellow color comes from egg yolks that are mixed in with some of the batter then swirled into the white batter before baking. The white part of the cake is a light angel food cake batter. This cake requires a few additional steps compared to a standard cake, but it's not difficult at all.

 

Daffodil Cake from McCall's Cooking School

White Batter:

1 ¾ cups egg whites (12-14)

1 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)

1 ½ cups sugar

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp cream of tartar

1 ½ tsp vanilla

Yellow Batter:

5 egg yolks

2 tbsp cake flour

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp grated lemon peel

Make white batter: In large bowl, let whites warm to room temperature 1 hour. Sift 1 ¼ cups cake flour with ½ cup sugar; resift three times. With electric mixer at high speed, beat whites with salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Beat in 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. With wire whisk fold vanilla into egg whites until combined. Sift flour mixture, 1/4 at a time, over egg whites. With wire whisk, using an under-and-over motion, gently fold in each addition with 15 strokes, rotating bowl a quarter turn after each addition. Fold ten more strokes, to blend completely. Turn 1/3 of batter into medium bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make yellow batter: In small bowl, combine yolks, cake flour, and sugar. With mixer at high speed, beat until very thick. Add lemon peel. With wire whisk, using an under-and-over motion, fold yolk mixture into reserved 1/3 of batter. For marbling, spoon batters alternately into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan, ending with white batter on top. With knife, cut through batter twice. With rubber spatula, gently spread batter in pan until it is smooth on top and touches side of pan all around. Bake on lower oven rack 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed with fingertip. Invert cake pan to cool for 2 hours. With knife, loosen cake from pan and remove. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or, as I did, drizzle with a lemon glaze. Glaze: Mix 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and juice of ½ lemon. Add a little water to achieve desired consistency. The cake is even more moist the second day. 

I am reading Finding Betty Crocker by Susan Marks, which I ordered after my research on Betty Crocker box top points referenced Ms. Marks book. For quite a number of years, I have wondered how angel food, sponge, and chiffon cakes are different and the book heightened my need to find out. According to my Betty Crocker Cookbook copyright 1969, "all three depend on a foaming meringue for their lightness, but they differ in other ways. Angel food cake has no leavening, no butter or oil, and no yolks. Sponge cakes use both the whites and yolks of eggs. Sometimes leavening is callled for, but butter or oil is never used. (Sponge cakes may also be used for rolled cakes, such as the jelly roll.) Chiffon cakes combine the qualities of the two. While their lightness depends upon the egg white meringue, they also use egg yolks, leavening, and oil.      

Mar. 1, 2009

Today's mileage: 2 mile walk

Total monthly mileage for March: 2 miles 

Bible reading? Ya betcha. 
 

 

 

 

O.K., so I've got my microgreens and sprouts seed orders completed. Next, I'm movin' on to purchasing a yogurt maker so that I can make not only dairy yogurt but nut and seed yogurts, as well. The dairy section at the local market has good quality organic yogurts from grass-fed cows… Why bother? Freshness. Nutrition at its peak. Why this urgency to delve into these realms? I have been growing and using sprouts sporatically since the early 1970s and I've thought about purchasing a yogurt maker equally as long. I am now ready to seriously incorporate these foods into my diet in as many ways as possible. When George Burns was 100 years old, he stated, "At my age, I don't even buy green bananas." I'm not so old that I shun green bananas but, in this autumn season of my life, I am no longer putting off for tomorrow. Any suggestions of yogurt maker brands and/or features that you have and love? I am familiar with the Yogourmet brand, since it is frequently sold in health food stores and food co-ops. I know that yogurt can be made using a low oven temperature, but maintaining a safe narrow temperature window, to prevent harmful bacteria from propagating making the yogurt unsuitable for eating, causes me to be somewhat apprehensive to choose the oven method.  

In the meantime, I will buy plain yogurt and flavor it. I made a Peach and Raspberry Swirls Yogurt Recipe from Ina Garten, the "Barefoot Contessa" on the food network. Barefoot Contessa… that name I like. Ah, but it is taken. I will be content as "Queen of the Meadow Blooms". In this recipe, you drain the liquid from the yogurt before adding nectar back in to achieve a wonderful fruity flavor. Notice in my photo how much liquid, in the jar on the left, is drained off from two cups yogurt. Ideally, fresh raspberries and peaches would be added, but I am making this recipe 5 months prematurely. February is not exactly the season for fresh berries and fruit such as peaches. My spirit has transitioned to spring, however, so I have gravitated to spring and summertime recipes. Just getting prepared… I drizzled the single frozen raspberry in the center of my dish of yogurt with a tiny bit of honey just to make it look more appetizing so you wouldn't need to imagine so hard how unbelievably beautiful fresh raspberries and peaches would look and taste.  

 

Peach and Raspberry Swirls Yogurt 

from Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten Serves 4.

2 cups plain yogurt

2 tbsp honey (I'm going to try eliminating this.)

¾ tsp vanilla

1 tsp grated orange zest, optional

¼-1/2 cup peach nectar

 peach, peeled and diced

fresh raspberries

sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and suspend it over a bowl. (I used an unlined sieve.) Pour the yogurt into the sieve and allow it to drain, refrigerated, for 3 hours or overnight. (A whopping 2/3 cup liquid drained off.) Place the thickened yogurt into a bowl and add the honey, vanilla, and orange zest. Thin with peach nectar until it is a desirable consistency. (My first attempt, I used ¼ cup nectar and it was a little too thick. My 2^nd attempt, I used ½ cup and felt it was a little thin so I’d say 1/3 cup should be just right.) One time I used a whisk to mix the ingredients together and the next time I used a blender which resulted in a smoother texture. Ina didn’t say to put the yogurt in the fridge overnight at this step, but I would suggest it if you have time. It allows it to thicken up a bit, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Fold in peaches and raspberries with a few on top, along with the almonds, for garnish.

 

Feb. 26, 2009

Today's mileage: 2 mile walk

Total monthly mileage: 64.5 miles

Bible reading? Yesiree.