Home Grown Nutrition

February is Heart Health Month, so do something nice for your loves this month and make them some super nutty granola (Happy Valentines Birthday Poo-Pooh!)!  The oats, quinoa, seeds, nuts and fruits are full of fiber to help reduce cholesterol; and fruit (and vegetables) contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that help prevent heart disease.  Adding just 1 serving of fruits or vegetables (1/2 Cup) a day can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by 4%!

In addition to being healthy, the coconut and citrus make the granola smell so great while baking that you will want to eat it even before its ready.  Coconut oil is available at your local grocery store in the natural foods section, near the olive oil.  It is saturated fat, so it is solid at room temperature.  However, it has a different structure than animal saturated fats, and so reacts differently in the body.  Coconut oil is preferentially used for energy, while animal fat tends to get stored in our bodies as adipose and contribute to high cholesterol and fatty plaques (atherosclerosis) - cool! 

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Heidi Swanson’s book Super Natural Cooking.  She has a great foodblog that focuses on whole natural foods with great recipes, check it out: 101cookbooks.com

Super Nutty Granola – Makes about 8 Cups

3 Cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 Cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (or use another 1/2 cup of rolled oats)

1/2 Cup raw sunflower seeds

1 Cup raw walnut halves

1 Cup raw almonds

1 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 Organic orange (washed)

1 Organic grapefruit (washed) (Or use another orange)

1/4 Cup virgin coconut oil

1/2 Cup honey

1 Cup dried fruit (I like goji berries and chopped candied ginger – also try dried peaches and cherries)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix the oats, quinoa, sunflower seeds, nuts and coconut.  Zest the orange and grapefruit into the bowl using a microplane or smallest holes on your grater and mix well.  Try to avoid getting the white stuff just below the bright orange/yellow zest – it is bitter.  (To avoid seasoning your food with waxes and pesticides, always choose organic fruit for zesting.)

Heat the coconut oil and honey over medium-low heat.  Set a small strainer over the pan and squeeze in the juice from the orange and grapefruit.  Compost any seeds or pulp collected in the strainer along with the citrus peels.  Once the coconut oil has melted, stir well to blend everything together.  Pour over the oat & nut mixture and stir until evenly coated.

Spread the granola evenly over 2 large rimmed baking sheets.  Bake for 40 minutes on two center racks, stirring the granola and rotating the pans (top to bottom) every 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add the dried fruit of your choice and stir to combine.  Let the granola cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

The spaghetti squash and I have just made a pact.  It will never again pretend to be actual spaghetti lurking beneath my marinara sauce; and I will happily eat it up with tasty partners such as sesame oil, ginger and garlic – or my new favorite: butter, sage and truffle.  Though mom & I agree now that squash is a sneaky agent to make many dishes more healthy & delicious for the squash sensitive, as a child I saw right through the marinara disguise.  Spaghetti squash is not sneaky. There is no getting around the texture, much different than regular squash that, well, “squashes” up nicely with a fork once cooked.  After cooking a spaghetti squash its texture is like strands of al dente pasta, still a bit crunchy and perfect for stir frying with just a few flavors to showcase its uniqueness.

And nutritionally speaking, the spaghetti squash is your friend – Vitamin A, heart-healthy potassium and fiber, and very few calories per serving (21 calories per 1/2 Cup).  Look for it at farmers markets or your local cooperative grocery store (PCC).  It will be the big, oblong, bright yellow one in the squash bin.  It should have fairly smooth & shiny skin, and be heavy for its size.

Somehow all the foods that haunted my plate as a child have been reincarnated as delicious treats!  Thanks mom!  I can only hope that someday I too will frighten my own young children with squash, tomatoes and tofu.

Spaghetti Squash with Sage and Truffle Oil – Serves 4-6

*Ingredients that are grown or produced locally

*1 medium – large Spaghetti Squash

2 tablespoons Butter

*1/2 teaspoon Dried Sage

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

*1/2 – 1 teaspoon Truffle Oil (Fungus Among Us)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Wash the Spaghetti squash and poke about 10 holes all over the skin.  Place in a large baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, turn it over, and cook for another 30 minutes.  Check the squash for doneness by piercing with a fork.  The outer skin will be like a hard shell by now, but once you get the fork through that, it should pierce the flesh easily.  If the inside is still hard, bake for another 15 minutes & check again.

Now pour yourself a glass of wine and relax while you let the squash cool until you can handle it.  When cool, cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and gooey strings in the center.  Now get a fork & use it like a small rake to pull out all the spaghetti-like ribbons of squash and place these in a bowl.  Compost the squash skins and seeds.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add the butter and melt.  Add 4 Cups of the spaghetti squash (you may have more than this from a large squash – save it for later or double the recipe!), 1/2 tsp sage and 1/4 tsp sea salt.  Cook this, stirring occassionally for about 5 minutes to warm it through and absorb the butter.  Take it off the heat & stir in the truffle oil.  This is strong stuff, so start with 1/2 tsp and taste to see if you want more.  Enjoy!