Pepper Paints

Thursday’s Recipe …. Roasted Chickpeas-Now That’s a Healthy Snack!

I cooked up a pot of dry chickpeas and let them cool. I drained them well and even dried them off some. In a large bowl I mixed the chickpeas with some coconut oil, salt and pepper–lots of salt and pepper!

I turned the oven up to 450 and spread the seasoned chickpeas in a single layer onto a cookie sheet.

I roasted them for a long time–stirring them up occasionally. Kind of like making pumpkin seeds–they are wet and take a long time to dry and then roast. You can decide how dry or crunchy you like them. I took them out and tried them but thought they were just dry and not too crunchy. So I put them back in for a little while longer.

Just right! I think these will be a perfect snack for a long car ride!! These definitely need to be accompanied by a nice cold drink!

I am thinking of trying some different seasonings next time—with onions and garlic powder or hot and spicy spike or fresh herbs or even a little cinnamon and sugar…so many possibilities!

What’s On My Strewing Table? Spring!

While I was out running the other day and listening to Sarah Parent’s podcast on Strewing (which I barely got into before my ipod died) I was trying to think of something good to strew this week. It was such a beautiful morning the sun was out, the wind was blowing and all the spring flowers and trees are in full color right now. The air smells so sweet. This wondrous time of Spring is so short. A few windy or rainy days and the flowers blow off of the trees and those Spring bulbs turn into green skeletons.  So I thought we should bring Spring inside this week.

I wanted it to be more than just a small nature table–I wanted the sun, the wind, the sounds and smells of Spring. So I choose a sunny spot near the windows.  Ginger and I found lots of stuff just in our own yard to bring inside.  Flowers, leaves, nuts, pine cones, bark, sicks with fungus on them, seed pods, rocks, dried up daffodils, tulips etc…

Then I rummaged through my basement and cupboards to find just the right containers to sort everything into. I think it’s important to take some time to think about how you are going to display your items. They certainly are more visually pleasing and inviting if you take a little time to display them in different ways. I don’t think this would have been nearly as appealing if I just left everything in a tubby on the table mixed together. Think trays, silverware sorters, tiny bowls and boxes, cigar boxes, egg cartons, vases.

Put your specimens under glass and  your immediately drawn to the little collection.

Add mirrors and you get more light and a whole new perspective!

Add magnifying glasses to get a closer look.

I put out vases of flowers too.

What’s happening in your back yard?

Bring it inside for a whole different view!

I hear some of you want to play along with What’s On My Strewing Table?!  Excellent!! If you are strewing at your house and want to share, leave a link to your strewing post in the comments so we can all see what you got going on! I will try to post this regularly as a Friday Feature–but sometimes I might not get it posted until Sat. –Be patient with me!! Are you strewing this week????? Let us know about it!

Thursday’s Recipe ….. Sprouting

Often times my kitchen looks like a laboratory with various nuts and or seeds soaking or sprouting on the counter tops.

Where to start—

So why sprout?  Sprouts are full of nutrition–They are alive, vitamin and mineral content doubles or triple!!  Sprouting pre-digests the nut or seed and  activates living enzymes which also assist in digestion.

What to sprout? Almost anything! Use untreated, unbroken nuts, grain or seed–not seeds treated for planting purposes. Anything out of the bulk bins will probably sprout.

What equipment  do you need? Any container that provides drainage. You can buy nut and seed mesh bags for sprouting or use mason jars with old tights or nylons on the top secured with a rubber band for draining or you can buy a jar with a screen lid or for larger beans/grains I have used a bowl strainer/colander combination.

How do I sprout? Choose something simple to start off with-   Easy beans–mung beans, garbanzo, lentil, kidney, aduki Easy seeds—alfalfa, clover, radish, mustard, feugreek      Easy grains—-whole barley, wheat berries, kamut berries, rye, quinioa  Best nuts—almonds, sunflowers, filberts

For 1 qt finished sprouts measure out:    small seeds 2-3 rounded Tablespoons — Medium Seeds 1/4-1/2 cup —-Larrger beans and grains 1 cup —sunflower seeds 2 cups

Pour into jar or strainer, fill with good water,  let soak over night    Drain using a screen, nylon or strainer of some sort.  Rinse and drain again.  Continue rinsing 2 to 3 times per day for 4 to 7 days depending on the temperature-until desired sprout length. Keep in a darker spot for days 1 through 3 And for the last 2 to 3 days place in a sunny spot to activate their green chlorophyll.  Drain and keep in the fridge for about 7 days.

Once you get started it’s super easy to sprout!  You can eat them raw in salads or on sandwiches (PB&J w/ alfalfa sprouts is a favorite of mine!!) You can add them to soups or puree to make pate or hummus. You can go on to cook sprouted beans and sprouted grains can be dried and ground into flour.  I have a recipe for the mung bean sprouts in the first photo that I will be making tonight! I love to use sprouted quinoa to make tabouli.  Happy Sprouting!

******Fermented Foods update from last week*********

I just tasted them again today and the carrots definitely have a bit of a zing to them but still not enough-I will taste again in a couple of days. The cabbage is now a beautiful purple color but not too tangy yet. The temperature hasn’t been too warm so I think that might keep things from moving along and fermenting. If I had to eat them now they would be tasty but I am hoping for a little more “sour” zest to them! I promise to keep you posted.