Lambs Canyon Hike and Wild Flower Identification

The kids and I went for a hike with some family members and one of the first things we saw just off to the side of the trail was a nest of eggs about head level.  Our thoughts were that they might be sparrow eggs... do you know?  As you read this post try to remember the native wild flowers growing in our mountains.  The next time you go hiking with friends or family you will be able to impress them with all your vast knowledge of plants! :)

This native wild flower is called 'Monkshood'.  The top of the flower looks as though it has a hood over it.  The plant was just about as tall as I am!

Native 'Daisy'

The butterflies were everywhere today!  These 2 were drinking nectar from a 'Wild Geranium'.

 'White Wild Geranium'  the most prominent blooming flowers there!

 'Purple Wild Geranium'

'Wild Mountain Blue Bells' (found closer to the top)

 Tiny 'Purple Violets'

Tiny 'White Violets'

 'Wild Strawberries'

 'Sweet Pea' blossoms.  These also came in a variety of colors!

 'Valerian' - smells absolutely heavenly!

 Tiny blue 'Forget me Not'

  'Penstamen'  there are over 30 varieties of penstamen!

'Wild Hollyhock' or 'Mallow'

One of my most favorite!  'Indian Paintbrush'

'Jacob's Ladder'  Can you see the laddering effect of the leaves?

 'Columbine'  you can find shades of pink and purple too!

I  love 'Queen Ann's Lace'.  

 'Catnip'

'Wild Lupine'

'Wild Rose'  If you are like me and have noticed that all the roses that are now mostly hybrids, don't really have a smell to them, then go up into the mountains and smell what is left of the wild roses!  They are heavenly!

If you couldn't identify anything but one plant, make it this one.  'Stinging Nettle'  If by chance you do come in contact with it, get to some cold water, (which it usually grows by) and wash of the stingers.  Notice it's long pointed leaves with serrated edges.  The under sides of the leaves are a grey-silver color.

My precious little ones!  We all made it to the top!

Homemade Oatmeal Waffles with Fruit Sauce

These are so easy, delicious and incredibly healthy!  We use a wonderful and simple fruit sauce instead of sugary syrup! The kids ask for them all the time!  I love to make a large batch, save the leftover waffles in the freezer and pop them in the toaster for the days we have to run out the door early in the morning.  They are even great for simple dinners too. I got this recipe from my dad!

4 cups oat flour or 5 cups ground oatmeal

2 tablespoons organic sugar or agave

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in the blender)

4 cups filtered water

3 eggs

6 tablespoons organic canola oil

If you do not have a wheat grinder to grind oat groats in, simply grind 5 cups oatmeal into flour with a blender.  Mix all dry ingredients together first with a whisk.  Then add the wet, starting with the water, eggs and canola oil or any other oil you prefer to use.  ( I wouldn't recommend olive oil here).  Heat your waffle iron and proceed to cook accordingly.  

For the sauce: (pretty much a smoothie)

1 banana

1 cup water

1/2 cup applesauce

1-2 cups frozen berries of your choice

Blend together until smooth and wa-la you have fruit sauce!

Rustic Rosemary Stone Fruit Tart

This tart is a heavenly!  It has the perfect texture with the cornmeal in the dough and tartness of the fruit.  The rosemary adds a different twist that will be sure to send your tastes for a ride!  Serve with organic ice cream for an extra treat!  This recipe is a combination of 2 recipes from Martha Stewart.

For the Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup organic corn meal

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter

2-3 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, mix together flour, corn meal, sugar and salt.  Add cold butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed.  Do not over mix.  Form into a round disc and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

For the Filling:

1 1/2 pounds stone fruit, peaches, plums, apricots (you can also just use plums too), sliced into 1-2 inch wedges with pits removed.

1/4 - 1/2 cup organic sugar depending upon the tartness of the fruit

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400`. In a large bowl mix together all ingredients.  Place parchment onto a jelly roll pan or line with aluminum foil .  Roll dough out into a 14-inch round and place fruit mixture on top.  Fold the outside edges to form a border and brush top with egg wash.  Bake for 45 minutes and let cool for 20 minutes before serving. 

 

Wake up Green Smoothy!

1 cup water

1 banana

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 cucumber

1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger

1/2 applesauce or 1 apple

1/2 cup chopped pineapple

2 large handfuls of spinach and Swiss chard

1/4 cup parsley

1 lemon juiced

Blend and enjoy!

Sweet Chili and Rice

Delicious and easy!  Serve with a large green salad!

Organic canola oil for cooking

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz. can red or kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 32 oz. can or jar of stewed tomatoes.

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup organic brown sugar or agave

2 tsp chili powder

Steamed brown rice 

Saute onion, celery, pepper and garlic in oil until soften and and onions start to brown.  Add beans, tomatoes, brown sugar, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to a simmer and cook until nice and thick.  Serve over warm brown rice. 

Broccoli: From Garden to Table

Broccoli ready to harvest

Large head harvested.  I'll leave the plant in the ground for a few days to give more energy to the florets and then harvest those.

Small squash plants growing up under the broccoli.  Making the most out of the space I have!

The girls love to eat the broccoli leaves after harvesting the plant!

Chopping broccoli for soup and freezing the rest.  I harvested about 20 cups all together from just 4 plants!

Vegan cream of broccoli soup!  This recipe is from the "Forks over Knives" cookbook.  It is so good!  You will be pleasantly surprised with the creamy delicious flavor!

6 cups vegetable stock

1 cup cashews

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

2 garlic clove, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped to 1 inch size cubes

1 large head of broccoli, chopped (about 4 cups)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Puree 1 cup of vegetable stock with the cashews in a blender until smooth.  Set aside.

In a large dutch oven saute the onion, celery and carrot over medium heat in 1 cup vegetable broth for about 5minutes, until tender crisp.  Add garlic, red pepper and potatoes.  Cook for a few more minutes.  Add the remaining 4 cups of broth and broccoli, thyme and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover and turn heat down to medium low and let simmer until the broccoli and potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the cashew cream to soup and stir until mixed.  Remove from pot and puree half the soup in small batches.  You can leave some chunky or puree it all.  Serve warm with Herbed Grilled Flat Bread! 

Wow any guest with this recipe! It is full of amazing flavor and goes well with everything!  I am sharing 2 recipes for the dough.  Both are very good, one is a Naan (Indian bread) and the other is a more traditional pizza dough.  Try both!  You won't be dissapointed!

Homemade Herb Oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon

1/8 cup chopped fresh thyme

1 cup olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a blender.  Makes 1 3/4 cups oil.

Naan (recipe from "Spilling the Beans")

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp dry active yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup rinsed and drained canned white beans

1/2 cup yogurt

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg

3 cups of your choice flour, extra if needed.  I used half spelt, half all purpose flour.

1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl mix together the water, yeast and sugar.  Let stand until bubbly for a few minutes.  

In the bowl of a food processor, puree the beans with yogurt, oil and egg; add the yeast mixture.  Stir in the flour and salt until a sticky dough forms.  Add more flour turning the dough out onto a floured surface kneading until the dough is elastic and smooth.  Cover with a tea towel and let rise until double in size.  1-2 hours. 

Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces.  On an oiled surface, roll out each piece into an oval.  Set a heavy skillet over high heat and drizzle oil on the pan.  Cook one naan at a time until golden blistered on bottom and top.  Spread herb oil on dough after it has cooked.  Lightly salt with Kosher salt and pepper.  Keep warm in a 250` oven until ready to serve.

Pizza Dough (Flat Bread)

1/4 cup warm water

1 1/8 tsp dry active yeast

1/2 tsp honey

1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cup flour of your choice

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp room temp water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Make a Sponge:

in a small bowl, mix together warm water, yeast ans honey until yeast is dissolved.  Stir in 1/4 cup flour until smooth; set aside 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.  

Make the Dough:

In an electric bowl fitted with a dough hook, combine sponge, 1 cup flour, milk, room temp water, olive oil and salt.  mix on medium speed to form a sticky dough.  Add additional flour, little a ta time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (Dough should be very soft).  Reduce to a low setting and knead for 10 minutes.  Cover with plastic and let rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.  

Divide dough in half and roll out onto an oiled surface, making 2 large oval shapes.  Grill on a heavy skillet or outside on the BBQ grill.  Brush herb oil on fully cooked dough and cut into triangular shapes.  Lightly salt with Kosher salt and pepper.       

Homemade Disefectant Cleaner

Most homemade cleaners are safe and effective and consist almost of straight vinegar.  Unfortunately, the smell is repulsive to me.  I found this recipe from a  friend of mine who sells doterra oils, it not only does a great job it adds more cleaning power and smells good too!

1 clean, empty spray bottle

Plant based liquid dish washing soap

Vinegar

Water

White Fir essential oil

Eucalyptus essential oil

Lavender essential oil

Lemon essential oil

Place 1 squirt of soap into the empty bottle.  10 drops each of the oils and fill the bottle 1/2 way with vinegar.  Fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake well before use. 

 

Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Kale or Chard

I love this meal!  It's fast, healthy and filling.  And a great way to add kale to your diet.  I served salad greens from my garden with the spaghetti and made a lemon dill vinaigrette to go on top.  Delicious!

1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti

1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter for cooking

1 large onion, chopped

5-6 garlic cloves , minced

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 large bunch of kale or Swiss chard

Juice of 1 lemon

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.  In the meantime, saute the onions and garlic in a large dutch oven, until lightly browned.  Add the chickpeas.  Before draining the noodles, reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water and add to the bean and onion mixture.  Add drained noodles and kale.  Once the kale has wilted down, add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and Enjoy.  Recipe inspired by "Spilling the Beans Cookbook"