Sautéed Spaghetti Squash

The Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash

1 tbsp unsalted butter

olive oil

brown sugar

nutmeg

allspice

cinnamon

cayenne

sage

salt

Cutting the squash open may be the most challenging part. Use a large knife (since machetes are harder to find). Use a spoon or corer to take out its stringy, spaghetti-like insides. In a pan, combine the butter and olive oil and keep at medium heat. Add the spaghetti squash strings and sautée for 5-7 minutes, adding nutmeg, allspice, cayenne, cinnamon, sage, and salt. I love adding some cayenne pepper for a little kick without it overpowering the sweet notes. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and sage. Enjoy! 

Looking fancy in its squash serving shell. 

Avocado and Tomato Salad

The Ingredients

2 tomatoes

1 avocado

1 hot pepper or jalapeño

1/4 cup queso fresco

adobo

pepper

olive oil

Chop tomatoes and avocado into small pieces. Then, mix with olive oil, some adobo, and pepper. I use adobo without pepper so I can add my own. I top it off with some queso fresco and a hot pepper. Delicious! 

Whole Wheat Scones with Apples and Candied Ginger

The Ingredients

4 cup wheat flour

¼ cup ground flax

2 tbsp. baking powder

pinch salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 apple, grated

¼ cup candied ginger, cut in pieces

1 cup rice milk, 1/2 cup soy milk

1 stick butter

ginger

allspice

cinnamon

First, add all dry ingredients into a bowl: flour, flax, baking powder, and salt. Then, add in the brown sugar, pinching it so that it breaks down into tiny little pieces. It can be sticky and moist, so doing this makes sure it is more evenly dispersed throughout the batter. Cut the stick of butter into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and keep at room temperature. Add to the mixture. Note that if your butter is salted, you will not need to add a pinch of salt to the batter. You may, however, need to add some more sugar to balance out the flavor. Then, add the spices. Use a mandolin to slice an apple into thin, long pieces. Add to the batter. Then, add the milk. I used a combination of soy and rice to add more depth to the flavor and texture of the batter. Lastly, add the candied ginger. I used an unsulphured candied ginger that I cut up into tiny pieces so it is more evenly dispersed. Roll the dough onto a floured surface into a rectangle shape. Cut into triangles. Then, bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes on a buttered baking sheet. This makes 18 medium-sized scones. Enjoy!

Note: you can taste the batter as you go along because there is no raw egg :). 

The batter

Cut and ready to bake! 

Ready to eat! 

Veggie Broth

The Ingredients

carrots

celery
garlic cloves

onions (red and yellow)

green peppers

tomatoes

tomato paste

whole black peppercorns

bay leaves

salt

olive oil

parsley
splash of tamari

Coat the bottom of a pot with olive oil. Add onions, then add the rest of the ingredients- like the way you would cook them in. Add water to fully cover all vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat for at least 30 minutes to get out all the flavors. Use a strainer to separate the vegetables from the broth. Then, a splash of tamari for some savory flavor. I added the broth to a pitcher afterwards to make it easier to pour into ice trays. Freeze into cubes to store. They are super easy to work with since they take such little time to thaw out. The amount of salt and tomato paste used depends on the flavor you are trying to get. This made two full ice trays and them some. 

Enjoy in soups and a variety of other dishes! 

The ingredients pre-water

Simmered away and strained

Ready for freezing! 

Green Bean Sautée

The Ingredients

1/2 onion

4 strips of bacon

1 bag of frozen green beans

I had three ingredients in my house, and a very hungry stomach to feed. This is the ending product.

First, dice the onion and set aside. Cut bacon into similar-sized pieces as the diced onion. Since my bacon was frozen, I used kitchen shears to do it, which worked beautifully. While the bacon is cooking, thaw the green beans by boiling in water. DO NOT ADD SALT TO THE WATER. The bacon will add plenty salt! Once the green beans are completely thawed out, add to the bacon and add the onion. Add pepper to taste. Enjoy! 

Nom noms. 

Beef Jerky

The Ingredients

2 sirloin steaks 

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tbsp honey

dash of Texas hot salt (flavored with garlic and onion powder)

Making beef jerky isn't difficult, but it IS time consuming. This was my first time experimenting with it, and it was surprisingly delicious. (Also the perfect snack prior to camping!).

Before starting, make sure the steaks are slightly frozen and not fully thawed out. This helps a lot when cutting it into 1/2-inch thick strips. Once cut, place into a plastic bag. Pour in each of the other ingredients for the marinade. Shake the bag to make sure the marinade fully covers all of the meat. Then, refrigerate for 8 hours. Remove from the bag and place on the food dehydrator for 4 hours at the highest setting. Mine is 165 degrees. Presto- beef jerky is made!

The marinade ingredients

Sliced steak

The marinade

Marinating steak

Pre-dehydrating

Finished product! 

Vegan Kale Chips

The Ingredients

1/2 bag kale

1/4 cup raw cashews

2 lemons

4 sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

red pepper flakes

active yeast powder

Place cashews, lemons, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, yeast, and red pepper in a food processor and purée. The consistency should be thick with bits and pieces of cashew and tomato. Spread generously over the kale and dehydrated for 1-2 hours. Enjoy the salty, tangy flavors of vegan kale chips! 

Spread the mixture over the kale!

Dehydrating time!

Look at the beautiful green kale chips! Mesmerizing.