The Best Cranberry Chutney on Earth!

I was just eating this again the other day and it is sooo delicious. Everyone must try it!

Cranberry Chutney

3 C cranberries
1/2 C nuts (I usually use pecans)
1/2 C sucanat or rapadura
2 t sea salt
1/4 C whey
1/2 C prune juice (I've never used prune, but just whatever juice I have on hand.)
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground gloves
juice from one orange (I do about 2-3 Tbs of prepared OJ)
juice from half lemon (about 1 Tbs)

Pulse all the above in food processor

Stir in 1/2 C raisins

Cover and leave at room temperature for 48 hours then refrigerate.

Whole Grain Sourdough Crackers

Adapted from an adapted recipe at Sarah's Musings.

These crackers are absolutely delightful! They do not last long around here. I can hardly stop myself from eating one batch before the next batch is done! Honestly, I think the lard is a big reason why they are so nice. They are crisp and tender all at the same time! I haven't tried them with coconut oil yet, but that would be a good alternative for you veggies out there! Please use lard from a good source (i.e. pastured animals and with no additives.)

Ingredients:
1 C sourdough starter (use inactive starter leftover from feedings)
1/4 Lard (from pastured pork) or coconut oil
1 C whole grain flour, or as much as you need to make a stiff dough
1/2 tsp sea salt
olive oil for brushing
Coarse salt (such as kosher salt) for sprinkling on top

Equipment:
mixing bowl
prep bowl
silpat liner
rolling pin
pastry brush
pizza cutter
baking sheet (in which the silpat fits)

In a large bowl combine the sourdough and lard and mix thouroughly. (This is easy when the lard is room temperature.) In a separate small bowl, mix the salt and 1/4 C of the flour then add it to the sourdough mixture. Knead it together in the bowl, adding the remaining flour - as much as necessary to make a stiff dough. Cover the bowl with a lid, or place plastic wrap over the dough so that it doesn't dry out. Let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

After 12-24 hours, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a small portion of the dough (about 1/4 cup) and roll it out on a silpat liner until it is very thin. Then brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. (I tried fine sea salt and it really isn't as good as coarse salt.) Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough horizontally and vertically into cracker quadrangles. Place the silpat on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until just golden brown. The crackers will shrink and separate while baking.

Notes: I have made a double batch of the dough, the divided it up into 8 portions after the soaking period and froze those so I could make a quick batch of crackers with less lead time. It doesn't take too long to thaw (maybe an hour or so? I took it out of the freezer before we went to church and when we got home it was room temp.) They came out just as good as the other batches and that portion is just right for one sheet.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

This is a somewhat specialized recipe because it requires sourdough starter. What I really like about it though is that it is a recipe for "discarded" starter, not active starter. A great way to keep from drowning in starter and not let it go to waste! I've adapted the recipe to include soaking of the whole wheat flour in order to eliminate phytates and make it more nourishing. I've also subbed out the oil and sugar for healthier alternatives. (I've been making it with a white flour starter, but a whole wheat starter would surely work just as well.)

Adapted from a recipe by Mike Avery.

Ingredients:

1 C sourdough starter (discarded/refrigerated starter)

1 C whole wheat flour (sift flour prior to measuring)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1/4 melted coconut oil or melted butter

1/2 C honey

1 tsp baking soda

~1/2 C blueberries

Method:

In a stand mixer, combine sourdough starter and whole wheat flour. Once the two are thoroughly combined, cover the dough with plastic wrap ensuring that none of it is exposed to the air. Let sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

The dough will rise some while it sits. If any of it has gotten exposed to the air and gotten dry, just remove those bits so you don't have little dough nuggets in your final product.

12-24 hours later, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a muffin pan with papers or grease the cups.

In a separate bowl, mix together all other ingredients except for blueberries and baking soda. Then add those to the dough in the mixer's bowl and mix together. Once all the ingredients are mixed and have come together as a batter, sprinkle the baking soda in the bowl and mix batter again briefly to incorporate. Fold in blueberries and scoop into prepared muffin pan.

Bake for 20 min. Makes 8-12 muffins.

I have also made this recipe as pumpkin muffins. Instead of blueberries, mix in 1/2 C pumpkin puree (I add it to the same bowl in which I'm mixing the egg, honey, oil etc.). In addition to the cinnamon, I also added about 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground coriander and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg. Adjust spices to your liking,

Whole Grain Blender Pancakes/Waffles

This Sue Gregg recipe is one of our regular breakfasts. It's a great way to incorporate a variety of whole grains in your diet. There is no flour in these pancakes! I always do the two stage process and start my batter the day or night before. This will get more nutrients from the grains if they soak in an acidic medium (the yogurt or buttermilk) for several hours. (Oats should soak 24 hours). Complete explanation below. Check out the link to her webpage for more details about this recipe including FAQs and troubleshooting... although I've never had any problems with it.

This is copied and pasted from her webpage (with extra info left out):

AMOUNT: 3 - 4 Servings ( 8--6" pancakes or 3 to 4--7" waffles )

1. Place in blender; blend at highest speed 3 minutes (less in a Vita-Mix or Bosch), while adding enough liquid to maintain a vortex:

1 cup buttermilk or yogurt [or kefir] thinned with water to same consistency or 1 1/4+ cups for waffles--a thinner batter is best
(Non-dairy allergy alternatives: rice, coconut, almond milk, apple juice or apple sauce + 1 Tbsp. vinegar)
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, but recommended)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional for flavor, omit with buckwheat)
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats or whole oats or other grain
1/2 cup buckwheat, brown rice, corn, millet, or other grain

These are raw whole uncooked grains, not flour! We urge you to experiment with millet, barley, spelt, and Kamut® grain for varied tastes and textures. Avoid bothersome allergies. For those who are gluten intolerant try the gluten free grains: brown rice, corn, and millet.

2. Cover blender and let stand at room temperature several hours or overnight for improved nutrition. Optional but recommended: See The Two Stage Process.(below)

3. Preheat griddle on medium-high (until water drops sizzle on surface), or waffle iron at highest temperature.

4. Just before baking, add and reblend for 1 to 3 or more minutes until smooth:

1 egg (or alternative)
1 tablespoon flax seed (Optional for added nutritional value)
additional liquid (as needed to keep batter churning)

5. Blend in thoroughly, but briefly, "sifting" these through a small strainer (assist with rubber spatula, if needed):
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 teaspoon baking powder*
(*Optional: With the Two Stage Process the baking powder can be omitted and the baking soda increased to 1/2 to 1 teaspoon as needed).

Technique tip: If you can successfully drop the soda & salt into the spinning blades at the bottom of the vortex, you can omit sifting.

6. Bake on hot griddle or in waffle iron (3 to 5 minutes until crisp), lightly sprayed with non-stick olive oil spray as needed.

* * *
The Two Stage Process Optional for enhanced nutrition and smoother batter. After blending let the batter rest for 6 or 7 hours or overnight at room temperature. Remember you will add the egg later. However, if you've already added the egg, be sure to refrigerate the batter. Soaking the batter gives enzymes time to release nutrients (especially calcium, magnesium, and iron) bound up by phytates in the grains. In addition to maximizing nutritional value the two stage process allows the batter to soak up liquid, consequently, producing an even smoother batter.

Preheat the waffle iron on highesttemperature or griddle on medium high (until drops of water sizzle)
Add egg and reblend on highest speed 1 to 3 minutes or until smooth

About Whole Grains:
Try them all.
brown rice (waffles are light, crispy--our favorite)
oats (rolled or whole) May need to cook a little longer. Blend well to produce a smoother batter with coarser grains.)
buckwheat (raw, sprouting or toasted, very flavorful) Reduce to 1/2 - 1 cup--this grain expands. Omit vanilla.
millet (waffles are especially light)
barley (hulled, not pearled--reduce to 1/2 - 1 cup)
corn (dry whole, not meal)
Kamut®grain, spelt (allergy alternatives to wheat)
triticale, rye (tend to be heavy. blend with lighter grains)

Baked Oatmeal

Oats are such a healthful food and it is nice to take a break from "porridge" style oatmeal. This recipe for baked oatmeal is delicious! I got it from a blog, Kelly the Kitchen Kop. (I've made some minor adjustments from the original recipe.) Please plan ahead, you need to soak the oats for 24 hours!*

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C oats
1 3/4 C buttermilk/kefir/yogurt
1/2 C coconut oil (you can probably substitute butter or another oil if you don't have c.o. If you are using c.o. melt it first so that it is liquid.)
4 eggs
1/2 C maple syrup or honey
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
~1.5 C raisins or craisins (I used one 8 oz package of dried cranberries, or 4-5 handfuls from a bulk bag)
2 chopped apples or pears (I leave the skins on.)
optional: 2 C chopped nuts (or sprinkle on each individual serving after baking.)

Hardware:
9x13 glass baking dish
large stainless steel bowl
hand mixer
"spoonula" or wooden spoon and rubber spatula

Soak oats and buttermilk covered on kitchen counter 24 hours. I mix them up and let them soak in the same dish I will bake them in. The next day in a large bowl, beat oil, sweetener and eggs until glossy. I use a stainless steel bowl and place it in a sink of hot water so that the coconut oil stays liquid. Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon and vanilla; beat. Stir in oats until they are mixed well with the wet ingredients, then add in (c)raisins and chopped apples. Pour into 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-35 min.

*Soaking the grains makes them easier to digest and their nutrients easier for our bodies to absorb. One website with some more info about that here if you care to read more.


Update 2012:  I made a tasty vegan version of this recipe using coconut milk instead of dairy milk.   You could also use nut milks or other alternatives which I have also done in the past to make it dairy free.  I substituted the eggs with flax seed meal + water in the typical ratios suggested for replacing eggs.