Good Eats:: Homemade Almond Milk

I am so excited to be making my own almond milk. It's one of those things where I found myself thinking, "Why haven't I been doing this all along?" Well, when I realized how easy it is with a little foresight and a great blender (If I haven't shared before, I ♥ my Ninja blender!), I had to try it. 

I learned how to master this little task by following these instructions at The Kitchn (by apartment therepy). Voila! My very first bottle of homemade almond milk.

So far, I've used it in my morning oatmeal, my tea latte (I make a heavenly, frothy and delicious tea latte - possibly a recipe share in the future), smoothies, and I'm sure something else I can't remember right now. 

Ingredients::
1 C almonds
water
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tbsp honey (optional)

How to::
1. Place almonds in a glass jar, cover with water and soak overnight or all day (roughly 12 hours).  Drain and rinse thoroughly. Add to blender with 3 cups of water. Add cinnamon and honey to taste. Blend until almonds are finely ground.  Strain with a fine mesh strainer over a wide bowl (you can also use cheese cloth, but I never seem to have it around when I need it). Let sit until most of the liquid drips out.  

2. Next, get a metal cookie sheet for your almond meal. Oh yeah, this lovely little recipe also yields you the bonus of some healthy almond meal for baking. The almond meal will be left over in the strainer still sopping wet with milk. I just squeeze out the milk with my hands and crumble over my cookie tray. Then set the oven to 400 degrees and toast the almond meal, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. (This will make your house smell all warm and toasty like a fresh bakery. Do this before having company over instead of lighting candles.) Pulse the almond meal quickly in the blender to break it up and make sure it is a fine meal for baking. Store in an airtight container.

Don't forget to also store your almond milk in a sealable container you can keep in the fridge. Don't make too much at once as it only lasts a few days.

Banana Nut Muffins: Gluten Free (GF) & Sugar Free

Seriously?! GF and SF?  Yes, it's possible for something so healthy and tasty to exist. With a little research and finesse, it can be done.

This recipe is based on one from my trusty Joy of Cooking cookbook. For me, it's that cookbook I've owned forever, because my mom, and her mom, and her mom before her had one just like it - it's been a staple in our kitchens. It has everything in it.  While I rarely make a recipe straight from the Joy book anymore, it's a great starting place for deciding what ingredients should be in most basic recipes. It has a lot of cooking and food storage tips as well...I learn a lot here.

- a glimpse of the original recipe -

The next step was to research an all-purpose (AP) gluten-free (GF) flour mixture. I have a coconut AP flour mix that I found online, but have yet to create anything successful with it. Fortunately, I came across this amazing GF site Gluten Free Girl and their trusty advice on how to make your own gluten-free all-purpose flour mix.  I discovered that using the Coconut flour mix on it's own wasn't sufficient. It needed to be anchored with a wheat flour. Coincidentally, the original Banana Nut Muffin recipe also called for wheat flour. I was in business.

Ingredients::
1 C coconut flour blend (I like Mama's Coconut Blend by Gluten Free Mama)
1/2 C whole wheat flour (Bob's)
1/4 C ground flax seed
1/4 C Almond meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 C coarsely chopped walnuts
----
1 large egg
1/2 C applesauce
1/4 C brown rice syrup (or honey)
3 very ripe bananas
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C almond butter

Servings:: Makes 12 standard-size muffins

How to::
1. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.
2. In stand mixer (or in a large bowl for a hand mixer), beat wet ingredients until mixed.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients a third at a time making sure to incorporate. Since you are using GF flours you don't have to worry about over mixing since there is no gluten to break down! You want to make sure all the flour is mixed in so you don't end up with white lumpy patches in your muffins - ew, gross.  If you so choose, add in some walnuts for added healthiness and yummy texture.

4. Divide the batter among muffin cups. You can line your muffin tin with liners or I used a little coconut oil to grease them up.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for the following times::
mini - 10-12 minutes
standard size - 20-25 minutes
jumbo - 22-25 minutes

6. Insert a toothpick in 1 or 2 muffins to be sure they are done. Let cool 2-3 minutes before removing from pan, which makes them easier to remove. Preferably serve the day they are baked, but I store mine in the refrigerator to enjoy all week for breakfast and snacks.

**Baby and husband approved** I love giving these to my little guy because it's an easy finger food when cut up and his favorite food is currently bananas.

Good Eats:: Arugula Salad with Strawberry Rhubarb Vinaigrette

 

This salad is sooo good! When you want something summery, light, fresh and seasonal this salad is perfect.  I've been inspired to start eating more seasonally and to get braver with my food choices lately. Mainly for health reasons - my nutritionist had me make some changes that had me exploring my fruits and veggies in a whole new light, and I've been a part of a cooking group recently that has motivated me to try new things (more on that later...).  This salad incorporates several foods that are in season now:  arugula, radish, rhubarb and strawberries. 

If you want to explore eating more fun and seasonal foods, I suggest using the site Eat The Seasons. I bookmarked the site on my phone and pull it up at the grocery store to use it as my fruits and veggie list. The more unique foods have the useful feature of linking to info on how to make the best selection of your produce, how to prepare it, and links to unique recipes featuring the item. 

While I had several seasonal foods incorporated in this dish, my main focus was rhubarb. And I was seeking something light and fresh (i.e., probably a salad). I found this recipe at The Rhubarb Compendium (who knew?) and adapted it to my own tastes here for you. I love that this dressing is a thick, beautiful pink shade and covers the salad ingredients very well so use sparingly.

Make and enjoy! 

Pairs nicely with::
I think this would be a good entertaining salad and would go nicely alongside roasted chicken for dinner or a delicious deli sandwich for lunch.

**This recipe is husband approved**
(For those that don't know...my husband, as many others like him, likes the foods he is used to but since I started my dinner club he's opened up to trying a lot more things. Arugula would've had him running in the past!)

Ingredients::

1 C chopped fresh rhubarb (1 stalk)
1 C chopped fresh strawberries
1 large shallot, chopped
1/2 T honey
1/3 C red wine vinegar
3/4 c EVOO
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
-----
1 bunch arugula (and spinach)
8-10 sliced strawberries
4-6 thinly julienned radishes
sliced raw almonds
1 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese

How you make it::
1. Simmer rhubarb and shallot in saucepan until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add strawberries and red wine vinegar. Cook with lid on until strawberries wilt a bit. Set aside until cool enough to add to a blender.
4. Puree. Pulse in EVOO and mustard.
5. Serve at room temp or chill.  Use on a salad of mainly arugula, some spinach, julienned radishes, sliced raw almonds and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. You could top with some black pepper for added spice but I preferred it without.

MakieDoll Guest Spot! + Style:: Crocheted Matching Wrist & Neck Warmers

I'm so excited to share something warm and fuzzy with an audience who really needs it! Although, California's desert climate gets surprisingly cold in the winter months. (Yes, we have a winter! It's grey and cold and it even rains.) I love the California sun but nothing compares to the gorgeous crisp air of fall I miss most of all about my native roots back east. My husband and I just spent a weekend enjoying the most beautiful fall weather in NYC, strolling through Central Park and a few Brooklyn vintage markets (stay tuned for goodies from this latest Treasure Hunt), and visiting family and friends. The weather was just right to sport my latest handcrafted style creation! A perfectly fitting time to guest spot on Makie's awesome blog.

You can find the rest of this post and instructions on these adorable accessories over at Makie's site. Check out her beautiful features while you're there that you're all sure to LOVE!

AroundTown + Music Monday:: Billy Childs

I totally owe you all a great Music Monday post so this one includes some live music we recorded from the last concert we went to see last Sunday at the Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena. They host free concerts all summer long. I was super excited for Billy Childs to perform since we saw him live last year when he played piano with Chris Botti - the jazz trumpeter our little Botti man is named after. :)

Enjoy this vid from our show called

Project + Green Style:: Rocking a T-Shirt Bag

This little t-shirt bag was so fun to make and only required some basic sewing skills. I've loved this t-shirt for a very, very long time...looooong like 10 years long. It's a Dead 50s shirt - a Rockabilly band from my home town. I used to go see their shows with a close friend of mine. A great way to remember those fun times and still rock the punk band style without looking like I'm trying to salvage my youth was to *upcycle* (turning old products into new, updated items) this tee into a handy bag. I've been using mine to tote my craft projects around but I also sport it as a casual purse to live shows. It's an awesome accessory with a bit of attitude for your basic tee, jeans and cute pair of flips!

Here's how I made it::

1. I trimmed off the sleeves removing the seam leaving two raw curved edges. Then I used a plate to measure the curve to cut out the neck area by using a standard dinner plate as a guide. This left me with two 3 inch wide handles on my bag.

2. Next I measured up the bottom of the shirt where I wanted the bottom of the bag to be and made a French seam. I trimmed quite a bit off the bottom of the shirt (about 8 inches) and these pieces I set aside to turn into smaller pouch bags (see instructions for pouches below). If you need help with a French seam check out these instructions here.

3. After you have your bottom seam finished, it's a nice touch to box the corners. This adds dimension to your bag and your stuff sits in it much nicer with a semi-flat bottom when it hangs. I learned how to box corners here...but don't be intimidated, it's way easier than it looks - I didn't use the fancy ruler beacuse I don't have one and they still came out even!

4. For some extra detail and a less "made it myself" look, I added white contrast stitching around the very edge of each arm opening. Fold the edge of the raw arm opening under less than 1/2 an inch and iron on high steam to flatten. Stitch along edge in a tight zigzag stitch.

5. To add a custom touch to my bag, I wanted to do something fun with the handles. I cut each handle at the seam, crisscrossed them and stitched them together hiding the seam underneath. Then I folded the raw edges under, pinned them in place, and stitched a short straight stitch on either side of the original seam. This hid some of the zigzag detail but that's okay because it helped hide the seams and gives the handles a finished look.

Here's how I made the pouches::

1. Cut the remnants of the bottom of the shirt in two. Working inside out, add a seam to the side and then add a French and small box seams to the top cut edge. Leave the original hemmed bottom of the shirt as the opening for the bags. 

2. Cut a small slit in the original hem making an opening that creates a tube. Fish a ribbon through the tube with a safety pin.

3. Pull both ends of the ribbon through a button with an eye hole backing. Add beads to each strand and tie a knot in each end of the ribbon. Trim excess ribbon. Follow these steps to turn the sleeves into pouches as well.

I use these little bags for my yarn. I can keep the draw string pulled and pull my thread as needed with no tangles. I have four pouches for four different balls of yarn that all fit in my t-shirt bag with my needles and other items to make a Rocking Craft Bag!

If you don't want to sew a t-shirt bag, check out this great t-shirt market bag that helped inspire this project by Honestly...WTF.  And in my search, I also found this more modern t-shirt grocery bag I want to try making soon as well by // Between The Lines //.  This project also inspired my little pouches. :)

If you make your own beautiful market/t-shirt bags share your links in the comments. Thanks and happy t-shirt upcycling!!

What's Stewing?:: Spinach & Sweet Red Pepper Lasagna

Oh my goodness this was the best veggie lasagna I've ever eaten! My husband loved it so much he said he wanted to eat it again the next night for dinner. This picture does not do it justice since it just looks like a gooey mess of cheese and sauce but it's really all about the taste, right? And it is soooo good! It's so good I'm even eating it for lunch while I'm writing this post. Ok enough raving and onto the recipe...

Ingredients::
100% whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/2 bag frozen spinach
1 14 oz. container of ricotta
1 egg
2-3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 medium brown onion
1 red pepper
1/2 jar of pasta sauce
1 can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Here's how I made it::
1. Cook and drain 9-12 lasagna noodles. Lay out to dry.
2. Prepare filling. Defrost and squeeze out as much water as you can from frozen spinach. Then, lightly scramble egg in bottom of large mixing bowl. Add ricotta and stir with fork so the ricotta breaks up and gets creamy. Incorporate spinach making sure it breaks apart and combines evenly in mixture.
3. Cook sauce. Heat olive oil and garlic in sauce pan on medium heat. Add diced onion and peppers. Saute until lightly cooked. Add pasta sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes with juice, red wine vinegar and the rest of the seasonings. Simmer covered for 20 minutes on low heat. Remove bay leaf.
4. Layer your lasagna. Lightly oil 13 x 9 inch baking dish or similar size baking dish. Lay three noodles on the bottom of oiled pan. Smooth 1/3 of ricotta filling over noodles - about half an inch thick. Spoon 1/3 of sauce over filling. Add next layer of 3 noodles, layer of filling and layer of sauce. Add top layer of noodles (or another layer of noodles, filling and sauce if your dish is deep enough). Spoon remaining sauce on top.
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Sprinkle top with mozzarella and back uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!