tinycann sourdough loaf

bob's sourdough bread ~ round two

bob has been feeding this starter for a month now and produced an amazing specimen of bready goodness today! Reference to follow : Breads from the La Brea Bakery, thanks Alison & Paul! a great book on how to bake artisan hearth bread in your own home. give it as a gift and reap all the rewards!

juniper smoked salmon

for the brine:
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 tbls chopped garlic
1 tbls whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tbls juniper berries, lightly crushed
1 tsp thyme leaves
2 to 3 pounds salmon fillets, skin & pin bones removed

combine all in a 9 X 13 baking dish and stir until sugar dissolves. let cool completely.
cut the salmon into 4 ounce pieces and set in brine, cover and let cure for 6 - 8 hours in refrigerator.
remove salmon and disgard brine when ready to smoke. wash salmon in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with cracked pepper, 3 -4 tbls. Arrange stove top smoker with salmon and smoke on low heat for about 2 hours, until a slight skin form on the salmon and wil lightly crack when pressed, but still tender in the center.
use alder chips for smoking, roughly 1 1/2 tbls (changed out mid way)

let salmon cool before serving

chet's stovetop granola

this recipe is so simple and can be tweaked to your liking ~ i basically doubled it and it yielded about 4 quarts! i wouldn't make it this large unless you have a 14 inch skillet to use on your stovetop. regardless, for roughly $ 10 in organic ingredients and 4 quarts of tasty treats, you can't go wrong.

1 cup rolled oats, kamut or rye flakes ( i used oats)
1/3 cup chopped nuts (walnut,almond or pecan)
1/3 cup wheat germ, ground flaxseed or pumpkin seeds (i prefer flax, but you could use all three)
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted
1/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 tsp salt
2 - 3 cups dried fruit (raisins, dates, figs, apples, cranberries.....)
~ 3 tbls water

* in a mini prep, combine fruit and water, mix until all chopped up and forming a sticky ball
* add oats & nuts to a large, lightly oiled skillet over medium heat, toast while stirring for 5 minutes
* add the rest of ingredients (except fruit paste) and stir for 10 more minutes...until fragrant and golden brown (it took mine longer because it was a double batch)
* add in fruit and chop into the mix to distribute

store in an airtight container when it cools (if you aren't going to gobble it up within a weeks time, i'd store it in the fridge)

it gets a little pasty with yogurt ~ so i prefer to eat it as cereal with almond milk and add in blueberries...you can feel all the textures better this way!

creamy tahini sauce

this creamy tahini sauce is a snap to make, can be made vegan & is remarkably good for you. i use it over steamed short grain brown rice with lightly sauted broccoli, tofu and roasted red bell peppers. it's also great over udon noodles with daikon radish & cucumbers.

makes about 2 cups.

in a blender mix all :

1 cup tahini (sesame paste)

1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup

3 tbls naturally brewed soy sauce

3 tbls rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbls finely chopped, peeled gingerroot

1 tbls toasted sesame oil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

~ blend together until well incorporated, drizzle over rice & veggies, store in an airtight container in fridge.