Make it From Scratch: Lara Bars

Chocolate Craving Bars

'Morning!

You might remember that last month, Katie from Living Crunchy guest posted here with instructions for homemade, natural Easter Egg Dye.  It's my turn to return the favor, so I set out to find a recipe for homemade Lara bars.  

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Burritos

I have fun news!  Today is my first time guest posting!  My virtual pal, Allie, invited me to post a Meatless Monday recipe... which is also another first for me :)   But I thought it might be fun, and I already had a recipe in mind, so I whipped it up and sent it on over to The Greenists. 

This is a great alternative to standard burrito filling, and it's a fabulous change-up from our usual way of eating sweet potatoes - baked with butter.  It's easily made nondairy/veganized, and it's a great way to get in loads of Vitamin A, fiber, and iron.

Click On Over!

 

Sweet Potato Burritos at The Greenists

Digging in the Dirt: Part 2

Note from Sara:  You may remember that I've been lucky enough to have John (aka "El Gaucho") guest post for me in the past.  He and his girl, Alycia, have been friends of mine for years and years, and they're also the most prolific gardeners I know.  Because it seems that Mellisa and I are new to the world of growing our own food, I thought I'd ask John to hop over and offer up some tips.  I'll be pestering him for more as the season continues on, and hopefully we'll bully him into sharing more of his wisdom come next spring when it's time to plant again.  Enjoy!

This is the second part of a series of gardening posts.
Part 1 can be found here



Tips For Beginning Gardeners, Part 2:

Find a Resource for Help.
Just about every city or town in the United States has a local Master Gardeners program, extension service or gardening club(s), that would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about gardening in your area. Utilize the magic of the Internet to help you find these resources, or ask at your local nursery/garden store and they can help guide you in the right direction.

The best resource for gardening tips are other gardeners themselves. Ask family, friends, and co-workers if they garden, or if they have a friend or neighbor who gardens, and who might teach you. Peruse around your neighborhood and see who has a nice vegetable garden (yes this might be hard to see without peeping into someone’s back yard) and strike up a conversation them. Offer them a few hours of free labor from you in exchange for them teaching you what they know. Most gardeners are quite happy to offer their knowledge and experience and would be happy to chat with a newbie.

I’m lucky in that my In-Laws have a beautiful garden and live only an hour and a half away. They’re more than willing to discuss their experiences of what does and doesn’t grow in the area, what pests to watch out for, when to be wary of frost, etc. We also have huge veggie exchanges throughout the year and each grow and then swap what works well in our respective gardens. They grow a ton of rainbow chard and beets but don’t even eat them (they just like they way they look), so we get a bumper crop of these every year without ever having to grow any ourselves.

Get the Family Involved.
If you have kids, try to get them involved in the gardening as well. Not only (when properly harnessed) are they a great source of free labor, but they’ll benefit from a closer connection to their food source and interaction with nature. New studies have come out and authors (see Richard Louv in particular) have examined the link between kids exposure to nature and gardening and reduced behavioral problems and physical ailments. And anything that gets a child to eat more fruits and veggies is going to help them lead healthier lives.

Try growing vegetables that will captivate kids' interest. Depending on their age, growing carrots can be a magical thing, the moment that they pull a full formed carrot from the ground that they planted a few months ago can be enthralling. Veggies like cucumbers, melons, zucchini, or pumpkins are entertaining for kids as they are large bushes with big pretty blossoms and produce hefty fruits. Growing snap peas, cherry tomatoes, or strawberries can make every stroll through the garden a healthy snacking opportunity for you and your children. What kid wouldn’t be impressed with a zucchini plant like this one that produces dozens of zucchini every week?

Embrace Perseverance and Seek Inspiration.
Every gardener fails. Every gardener has failed at something in their garden, killed a plant, and allowed weeds to run rampant. I’ve killed plants, lost harvests, or seen plants die from just about everything you can imagine: bunnies, birds, hail, squirrels, acts of God, a careless step in the wrong direction, simple neglect, various diseases, over watering, under watering, rampaging garden gnomes (OK I made this one up), over exuberant dogs (this one is true), bad soil, wind storms, too little sun, too much sun, pulling a garden hose the wrong way, and the list goes on and on. The bottom line is to not let your setbacks get the best of you and never let the things that failed define your experience in the garden.

And seek inspiration every chance you get. Go on garden tours, visit local farmers markets to find new fresh fruits and veggies, and find cool sites on the Internet. Here are the websites of two of my most inspirational gardeners, though they’re not necessarily oriented towards fruits and veggies, they are amazing. Not only are they great writers, but they post regularly and are spectacular photographers. Each post has dozens of beautiful pictures that make me want to get off my tush and play outside in the garden.

http://conradartglassgardens.blogspot.com/

http://krensgarden-karen.blogspot.com/

Nothing tastes quite as good as veggies you grow yourself. It may be entirely in your head, or simply a result of the time and effort you put into growing it, but nothing matches the satisfaction, pride, and freshest of fresh taste you get with homegrown fruits and veggies. If you haven't before (or even if you've tried and not quite succeeded) I would highly recommend trying your hand at some gardening and raising some of your very own grub.
- John


      

Digging in the Dirt: Part 1

Note from Sara:  You may remember that I've been lucky enough to have John (aka "El Gaucho") guest post for me in the past.  He and his girl, Alycia, have been friends of mine for years and years, and they're also the most prolific gardeners I know.  Because it seems that Mellisa and I are new to the world of growing our own food, I thought I'd ask John to hop over and offer up some tips.  I'll be pestering him for more as the season continues on, and hopefully we'll bully him into sharing more of his wisdom come next spring when it's time to plant again.  Enjoy!



Tips For Beginning Gardeners, Part 1:


Sara recently sent me an e-mail asking if I could offer up some trusty gardening tips to the wonderful readers of From Blah to Ta-Daa. When I pressed her for details about what kind of gardening tips to discuss, she said, “Make it for people like me. I seem to have some imaginary boundaries that venture only a few feet from my stove and refrigerator.” So bearing in mind that many people have time constraints, space limitations, fear of failure, imaginary boundaries, a dark and sinister past with failed gardening attempts, or just uncertainty of where to start in the huge realm of gardening, here are a few trusty tips to help you be successful in your garden.

If you’re already reading this blog, you’re obviously interested in cooking, preparing food, and making delicious dishes for your family. I’m here to tell you that even if you have any or all of the constraints I mentioned above, or have a “brown thumb” when it comes to gardening, that you should not let these things stop you from trying your hand at raising your own fruits and vegetables.

Here are a few things I’ve learned over many years playing in the dirt and succeeding and failing at growing stuff in the garden.

Just Like Real Estate – Location, Location, Location.
Make sure the spot you choose for your garden gets a full day (at least 6, preferably 8 or more) hours of sunshine, ideally oriented towards the south or west. Make sure that you’re near a water spigot, close to where your tools are kept, close to your backdoor/kitchen door, and not in a place where your dogs go to tinkle (Yes I made this mistake, remember this theme – every gardener makes mistakes).

The raised bed above faces south and is along my garage, so it gets additional heat and light reflected from the garage siding. I’ve learned that my heat loving plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) do really well here, but it took a few seasons of trial and error to find that out.

If you don’t have your own yard or live in a condo, townhouse, or apartment, a sunny South or West facing patio/balcony can easily support a pot of tomatoes, some fresh herbs, or even a small lemon tree. Don’t let the physical constraints of your situation keep you from trying to grow your own fruits and veggies.


Don’t Break the Bank.
You can literally start gardening with zero dollars and no tools other than your two hands. Yes, digging in the dirt with just your hands is much harder than using a shovel or a trowel, but it can be done. The point is that it’s easy to get caught up in buying fancy new tools, pretty colored pots, specialized gardening accoutrements, or tons of vegetable seeds through a seed catalog. The point is to economically grow a few veggies that you love, enjoy the fruits of your successes, and then build from there.

A recurring theme in learning to garden is the beginner who gets all excited about raising their own food, spends a few or even several hundred dollars on shiny tools, fancy pots, and exotic plants, and then somehow gets derailed. Expertise and proficiency in gardening can’t be purchased with money. Start out slow with a few necessities (or borrow them if you can) and build up your inventory of tools, seeds, garden toys, etc over a number of years. My collection of tools are a series of hand-me-downs, stuff from Freecycle or the “Free” section on Craigslist, things left in the garage by previous home owners, Christmas/Birthday presents, and a few things I’ve actually purchased.

Keep a Journal.
This isn’t a mushy “thoughts and feelings” kind of journal, though if you want to add your thoughts and feelings, by all means go ahead. Mine sometimes have expressions of my emotional pain like “I’m full of despair. I wish I could find the bunny that ate my cucumber and watermelon seedlings that I just planted yesterday. I’d like to lure that bunny into a trap with some Skittles and then punch him in his little bunny head." But that’s just me. I just use a basic Mead Composition book, but any notebook, pad of paper, or even Excel spreadsheet will work.

You want to write the logistics of everything in your journal. What you planted, where you planted it, and when you planted it. During the year, make a few notes (rainfall, temperatures, weird weather, bugs, plant diseases, etc), and then a recap at the end of the season. This will help you understand the things that didn’t work (remember - everybody fails at growing something, even experienced gardeners) and identify and repeat next year the things that did work.

Make a sketch or a list or a spreadsheet to help you document what you did in the garden. My beginning of the year sketches look like this:

For me, the journal method helps us as we’re harvesting our veggies and realize that if one particular tomato is delicious, I can identify which nursery we bought that seedling from and make sure to get one (or two or three) next year. Last year we realized that one variety of cherry tomato, a yellow pear shaped tomato, just wasn’t that good. It looked pretty in salads, but just wasn’t that tasty. But we also realized that another variety of cherry tomato we planted, a wild Mexican hybrid, was absolutely delicious (seriously sweet and delicious, it was like candy), and we made sure to plant several this year.



Good luck in your gardening endeavors. And it’s only July, so it’s not too late to start a zucchini, cucumber, tomato, or pepper plant this year…
- John




         

Spinach Lentil Soup

Note from Sara:  This week's generous post comes from my ex-coworker, Susan.  (She moved not long after I started at this company, but I'm not bitter, no.  Nooooo, lol.)  Anyway, she sent me this recipe for a healthy soup, and I really want to try it out myself!  It's hovering right around 15 degrees here, and a hot bowl of filling soup sounds like heaven in a bowl.  Anyone want to make the recipe and deliver it to my house?  I tip well! :)

Spinach Lentil Soup

I am a soup-aholic -- cannot get enough. That said, I am exploring my vegetarian Times cookbook. This was the latest success from the cookbook. It's hearty, tasty and just plain yummy.  ENJOY!  -- Susan

Ingredients

1 cup dry lentils

3 T virgin olive oil

3 cups diced onions

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white or brown rice (I used brown)

6 1/2 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

1 cup cooked chickpeas (or one 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed) - I used canned

Garnish

3-4 cups spinach leaves, stems removed

2 T yogurt

4-6 lemon wedges (I used lemon juice)

freshly ground black pepper

1 T chopped fresh parsley or fresh cilantro leaves

To make the soup:

1. Cover the lentils with hot water and let sit.
2. Warm the oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat and cook the onions and spices, stirring, for 8 minutes.
3. Remove 1/3 of the onion mixture and reserve it for garnish.
4. Add the rice to the onions in the soup pot and cook 1 minute to coat the grains.
5. Drain the lentils and add to the onion-rice mixture along with the water, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
6. Simmer, covered until the rice and lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes.
7. Add the chickpeas and heat until warmed through.
8. Discard the bay leaves.

Garnish:

1. Chop the spinach and stir into lentils.
2. Ladle the stew into bowls and top with a spoonful of yogurt.
3. Add the reserved onions, lemons (I squeezed lemon juice instead), parsley or cilantro.

 

Hot Sausage Bread

Note from Sara: This week our awesome substitute recipe comes from Mandy. We also went to high school together, and I honestly can't think of her without thinking "Mindy and Mandy" because she's 1/2 of a twin duo :)  But what else is interesting is that she's an author!  As in, has books (plural!) you can actually buy on Amazon (go here)! This recipe from her makes me wish I ate cheese (without guilt).  I'm dreaming of thick-sliced Tillamook cheese for this recipe...freaking yum!



Hot Sausage Bread

There’s only one reason why I wanted to make Hot Sausage Bread for Sara’s food blog: Who doesn’t love to give and receive baked goods this time of year? I do, I do, I do.

Hot Sausage Bread is pretty simple to bake and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. I was afraid I would run out of time to prepare this recipe this week since it’s Thanksgiving. So, with the busy holiday week, I decided to pack my ingredients and bake three loaves at work last night. The first thing I did when I got home was enjoy a slice for breakfast. Yum. Enjoy.   -- Mandy

Ingredients:
3 Loaves White Bread (sold in the frozen bread section, Rhodes brand contains 3 loaves)
2 lbs Ground HOT Sausage
2 Packages of Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese
1 Egg

This recipe yields three loaves of Hot Sausage Bread.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Follow the directions on the back of the package, for thawing and allowing your bread to rise. I have never been good at following directions... so, this is what makes life easier for me: I allow the bread to thaw in the refrigerator - usually two days - and I allow it to rise in the bag (I know, I know, look how lazy she is) When the bag looks like it is about ready to burst.. it's go time.

Because the now ready bread has almost evolved into one massive loaf, I cut it into three equal parts. You will be able to see the lines where the old bread loaves used to exist.

Cook the ground, hot flavored sausage, until it is completely browned. Drain off excess grease. (I try not to be partial, but Jimmy Dean has great hot sausage.)

Cover a large surface with flour. Using a rolling pen, roll out one loaf until it makes a large rectangular shape. If you allow the bread to sit on the floured surface until it becomes room temperature, it will be easier to roll out and won’t require a lot of upper body strength. (I know, I know, look how lazy she is)

Scoop 1/3 of the browned sausage into the center of the rolled out dough. Spread it down the middle of the loaf, horizontally. Leave about an inch of spare dough at each end. You should have a spare 2-3 inches at the top and bottom.

Place 8-10 slices of pepper jack cheese over the top of the ground hot sausage.

Fold the spare 1 inch dough, at each end, over top of the meat and cheese. Press it tightly into the dough it has overlapped, creating a tight bond so the cheese won’t melt out.

Your final step in preparing your loaf of bread is to pull the top and bottom ends of the dough, together. At the top of the loaf you will pinch the top and bottom flap of dough, creating a bond. It should look like a rope running across the top of the bread once you are finished.

Whip one egg in a bowl. Using a brush, paint the top of the loaf of bread with the whipped egg. This will give your loaf of bread its golden brown finish. (One egg will cover three loaves of bread.)

Spray baking sheet and bake in oven until the loaf is golden brown. This usually takes approximately 20 minutes. You can follow the baking directions on the back of your frozen bread package.

Wait for bread to cool, slice and enjoy with a cold glass of milk to put out the fire. Honestly… It's not that hot, all five of my kids devour this recipe.

And since it now appears that you have labored over making this simple recipe, leave the mess for your partner to clean up. (I know, I know, look how lazy she is)

For those of you who are characters of visual nature, I am including each stage of the process to help guide you. If you are like me, you skipped all the directions and went straight to the visual guide. (I know, I know, look how lazy she is)

Curry Squash Soup

Note from Sara: This week our recipe comes from Devon. We went to high school together way back in the day (we're not discussing how long ago that was), and we've reconnected via Facebook and the likes.  I've recently been reading about pressure cookers, so when she emailed me this writeup, I got very excited... Someone to tell me all about using a pressure cooker!  And with photos!!  Thanks so much for the yummy recipe, Devon!  I'm now researching hand mixers and pressure cookers for my Christmas list :)




Devon's Curry Squash Soup 

I've been sickly for about a week. I'm on the verge of feeling better, but still coughing and have a lingering sore throat, so I decided that today would be a good time to load up on my veggies and make a creamy healthy soup that I could easily bring to work with me tomorrow for lunch. I love all veggies, but I particularly love it when hard vegetables are turned smooth. Pureeing is a good way to make veggies taste rich, and this recipe I mixed up is extra creamy due to the coconut milk. Cooking the carrots and squash together in the pot with the stock releases a little extra starchiness that makes the soup a little creamier in texture. The spices aren't overwhelming, and it would be great vegan as well if you used a vegetable stock. Easy peasy and heavy on all sorts of healing properties!

I am using a pressure cooker for this soup, but it could also be cooked in a large pot on the stove. If you're cooking on the stove top, you can simmer all of the ingredients slowly and I'm sure it would be just as tasty, but it will be more time consuming as you'll need to check and stir it frequently. If you're a fan of soups, stews, rice dishes, or any sort of slow cooked dish and want to cook them quickly, I'd suggest an electric pressure cooker. Pressure cookers are helpful as they provide an easy way to make dishes with no checking and in a really quick time frame. It's perfect if you want to make something else at the same time, as it won't take up any oven or burner space. Or you can walk away and watch some Boardwalk Empire. Not that that's what I'm doing right now. ;)


Devon's Curry Squash Soup

2 sweet onions
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a ginger root (adjust to taste-I like a lot of ginger)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 butternut squash, chopped in small, even pieces
4 carrots, chopped in small, even pieces
1 can (14 ounces) of coconut milk
2 cans (or 28 ounces) of your choice of stock. (I used low sodium chicken stock.)
1 tsp of curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp ground pepper
pinch of salt

Roughly chop your onions, ginger root, and leave your garlic as whole, peeled cloves. Toss all three ingredients into your pressure cooker (on high) with your olive oil and cook to bring out the flavors for a few minutes. You'll want the ingredients to brown slightly, but just make sure they don't burn. Turn off your pressure cooker for the moment as you're going to add the remaining items. Toss in the chopped squash, carrots, coconut milk, and stock. Stir in the spices and cook until the squash and carrots are soft and mushy. For me, I am cooking this in the electric pressure cooker, and I set it for about 20 minutes on high.

Once the soup is done cooking, release the steam and check to make sure everything is soft. If it's all soft, puree it all together. If it isn't soft for any reason, cook until it is. Pureeing will be easier and less work if you have a hand mixer. Hand mixers are about $30 for a decent one and a sound investment if you enjoy making homemade soups. A blender will work fine as well, but will be more work as you're need to let the soup cool enough to handle it to avoid cooking accidents and transfer it to the blender and then the serving bowl. With a hand mixer, you can carefully puree in the same pot you cooked in, and then just scoop into the serving bowl, or directly into the bowls. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Our star ingredient:

Pressure cooker magic:

Before the hand mixer gets a hold of our soup:

And, after.  This is some serious comfort food, people.

Neatloaf

Note from Sara:  My side business gets pretty crazy during the holidays, so over the next several weeks, I'll be posting recipes from some amazing substitute bloggers.  This week, my friend John has generously stepped up to the plate.  He's one of my favorite writers ever (seriously), so definitely check out his blog!


Neatloaf: A Tasty Vegetarian, Gluten-Free Fake Meatloaf

You’re about to witness a groundbreaking moment here on the Blah to Ta-Daa blog. I’m humbled to not only be invited by Sara to cross post a tasty supper recipe, but also to be the first dude to volunteer in the history of the Blah to Ta-Daa blog. I am honored and quite excited.

As yet another short preface, please don’t be scared of this recipe because it’s vegetarian or the name sounds funny. Sadly there’s no other way to describe it other than “fake meatloaf”. If you give it a chance you might really enjoy it.

Short backstory: One of my favorite places to eat in San Diego was Jyoti-Bihanga, a tasty vegetarian/vegan restaurant run by the Sri Chinmoy folks. If you aren’t familiar with them, I’ll tell you this - they make a fantastic fake meatloaf, they call it Neatloaf. You can imagine how excited I was when a friend of mine e-mailed me the recipe, so now I can have delicious Neatloaf in the comfort of my own home here in North Dakota.

Since I cook for a Celiac sufferer, I make the recipe gluten free by simply replacing the Special K with gluten free corn flakes or one of the gluten free Chex varieties that are on the market. This can change the consistency a little bit, but keeps the recipe well within the realm of deliciousness.

Cheers!
John,
at Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes



Here are the ingredients for the Neatloaf:
4 large eggs
1/4 cup Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1/3 lb low-fat ricotta cheese
1/3 lb firm tofu (squished up into small pieces)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, of choice
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
4 cups Special K cereal (substitute GF corn flakes or Chex to make gluten free)
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic

Here are the ingredients for the sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup (you can also substitute catsup)
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup molasses
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
Cayenne pepper (to taste - a pinch is plenty for me)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 300°F.
2. Saute the onions and garlic (in just a little bit of oil).
3. Beat eggs in bowl, the mix together all ingredients except Special K.
4. Mix well, and add Special K last.
5. Turn into a 9 x9 baking pan sprayed with cooking oil. 
6. Bake 1 hour.
7. While Neatloaf cooks prepare sauce, whisking together all sauce ingredients in a bowl. I typically like a lot of sauce so I double the sauce part. 
8. Remove loaf from oven, pour sauce over the loaf and cook an additional 10 minutes.
9. When loaf is done, if you can avoid the temptation, it’s best to let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
10. Best served with mashed potatoes and gravy and a side veggie.

It’s a bit of a complicated recipe, but don’t get scared, it’s not hard.  I usually double the recipe and use two loaf pans – one is for dinner that night and leftovers, the other one goes in the freezer for super easy dinner down the road.  If you do freeze a loaf pan, cover with aluminum foil and reheat in the oven.  The leftovers also freeze really well and make delicious lunches, definitely a highlight in the household. 
 

Note from Sara:  This is not John.

This is Alycia, his lovely girlfriend, and one of my best good friends.

Roasted Tomato Soup: Guest post

A great spin on the family favorite of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Great for summer with all those tomatoes!

If you are feeling adventurous, you could use this soup as a base and add tortellini, pepperoni, sausage, or peppers to creat a mirade of other options.

Roasted Tomato Soup

8-10 tomatoes on the vine

6 minced cloves garlic

1/4 c. olive oil

1 t. salt

Toss together and roast at 450 for approx 40 minutes.

Remove skins from tomatoes

Saute in 2 T. olive oil

1/2 to whole white onion - chopped fine

Place in pot with:

Roasted tomatoes

2 c. water

2 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

Bring to boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Blend until smooth in blender before serving.

Can Garnish with:

Pesto

Cream

Grated Parmesan

Our family rated this 5 spoons. I added pesto directly to the soup for everyone and we loved it. We had a dinner party with it, and wished there was more! I served with Italian Pesto Sandwiches.

Italian Pesto Sandwiches

Sliced Italian bread or a sturdy french bread
Brush outsides with butter (no substitutes!) (I add minced garlic to the butter first just for extra deliciousness!)
Spread prepared pesto on one side of bread
Place shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of pesto

Bake sandwiches on crinkled tinfoil on a baking sheet for 30-40 min at 300 degrees, flipping once. Or can toast on griddle.

Also 5 spoons! I wish there were 6 spoons! :)

This combination is one of our favorites and monthly menu regulars!
--
Callie Robbins
www.callieshomecooking.blogspot.com