CURRY ROASTED ALMONDS

curry roasted almonds . sprouted kitchen

I'm not incredibly interested in shopping or putting together the cutest outfit, she would rather go out to eat than cook. My sister and I have a mutual respect for the creative work the other does. I find it pretty special that people can come from the same parents, same house, and be different in so many ways. Sure there are similar mannerisms, but we're different people, which is why I find her consistently interesting. We recently exchanged clothes for snacks - which means I am going to be making A LOT of snacks. I thought I would share part of the recent care package that went out to her today. Care package snacks need to be things that will last a few days in the mail and then a few more days after that to be enjoyed. I also made these peanut butter bites and coated the outside in cocoa powder hoping that would keep them from sticking too much. There are often occasions to give edible gifts that need a longer shelf life than a cookie or loaf cake, both of these options travel well. These nuts are a tiny bit spicy, sweet and textured from the flakes of coconut. There is a kick of salt, as any good nut snack should have. I made the first round with all maple as the sweetener and roasted them at 350'. The coconut burnt before the nuts dried up and nothing stuck together. Second round, as reflected below, I tried them at a lower heat to keep the coconut from burning, as well as a bit of cane sugar to help everything adhere to the almonds. I used the dried coconut I had on hand, but I suggest some of the big flakes if you're heading to the market.  

curry roasted almonds . sprouted kitchen

CURRY ROASTED ALMONDS // Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Watch these closely as the coconut can burn on you pretty quick. I say around 30 minutes but keep your eye on them after 15, turning the heat down if need be. The coconut flakes will be more forgiving on timing than the shredded.

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed to a liquid
• 1 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons natural cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon sweet curry powder
• pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cups raw almonds
• 1/2 cup large coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, white and/or black

curry roasted almonds . sprouted kitchen

Preheat the oven to 325'. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, agave or maple, cane sugar, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt and mix together. Stir in the almonds to coat. Stir in the coconut and sesame seeds. 

On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread the nuts in a single layer and bake for 20-30 minutes on the middle rack, until the coconut is just browned. Stir them halfway through, being careful to pull them if the coconut starts to get too brown. 

Remove to cool completely before eating. (They may taste chewy at first, let them cool all the way!)

curry roasted almonds . sprouted kitchen

GRILLED SERRANO SALSA

grilled serrano salsa . sprouted kitchen

This all started when a good friend brought over a package of gluten free oatmeal apricot mini cookies and told me to please read the back and recreate them. In some way, I was flattered that she found me capable of unraveling a recipe like that. She has my complete empathy at the moment for some tough stuff she's going through, so of course I did it. I took my favorite cookie recipes, read the ingredients on the back, did some very scientific exchanges of sweeteners, flours etc., tested one cookie at a time and added from there making sure they'd hold together. They didn't have nearly the same texture as the package, a more homemade shape and tenderness (which I prefer, even if they didn't mimic the suggested cookie) and the taste, while not the same, was close enough. I apparently gave a mouse a cookie, literally, because then she asked me to please write a recipe for salsa. So here we are. Apparently my bleeding heart takes recipe requests.

I've written about the tomatoes at our local farm in summers past. I'd guess you have a place for great tomatoes too, and this is the time to use them. For something as simple as salsa, the better the ingredients, the better the end result. Something tells me you've heard that before? There isn't much to cover up a mediocre tomato here. I charred most of the vegetables, and leave a few raw to stir in at the end. This gives some of the sweeter tomato and onion flavor, while also including the sharpness of the raw onion and texture of tomato and pepper chunks. Take liberties to play around with the amounts depending how you like it. Just promise me you'll find great tomatoes.

grilled serrano salsa . sprouted kitchen

GRILLED SERRANO SALSA // Makes about 2.5 cups

I hesitate to call this mild because so much will depend on the heat of your chiles. Mine were not that hot, so even with two and their seeds, this salsa was very mild. With the quantity of other vegetables, it should keep things from getting too spicy, but you could add one at a time to your processor if you know you are super sensitive to heat.

• 1 1/4 lbs. tomatoes (roma, beefsteak, heirloom - whatever smells amazing)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 serrano chiles
• 3 cloves garlic, in their peel
• 1 tsp. smoked salt or sea salt
• 1 large, juicy lime
• 1/3 cup well chopped cilantro

Clean and heat your grill to medium high heat or preheat the broiler.

grilled serrano salsa . sprouted kitchen

Slice the tomatoes, onion and bell pepper into large wedges. Pull aside one wedge each of the tomato, pepper and two of the red onion. These will get added at the end. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatoes, onion, pepper, serrano and garlic cloves in a thin coat of oil with just a pinch of salt. Grill the items over direct heat for about 10-15 minutes until charred on the edges, keeping the garlic cloves in a little foil pouch to soften. If using the broiler, set the tray in the upper third and broil about 15-20 minutes until the edges char, but the vegetables to do not completely break down.

Set everything aside to cool completely. Discard the stems of the serranos, leaving the seeds in tact and push the garlic out of it's skin. In a food processor, pulse the cooled, grilled vegetables with the serranos and garlic until just chopped up. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the reserved raw tomato, pepper and onions and add them to the salsa. Stir them in along with the salt, lime juice and cilantro. Adjust seasoning to your taste - a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes aren't super tasty, chipotle powder if you like it smoky/hotter, more cilantro if you are me, etc.

Salsa will keep for about a week.

grilled serrano salsa . sprouted kitchen

MINI ROASTED STRAWBERRY ALMOND MEAL MUFFINS

mini roasted strawberry almond meal muffins . sprouted kitchen

Earlier this week, our pillow talk included a how-long-can-you-hold-you-breath contest. I lost, Hugh capable of cutting off oxygen about twice as long as I could. I likely could have gone longer but I was afraid of passing out. This has less to do with my lung capacity, more to do with fear of pain, but that's another issue. This tumbled into looking into the world record for breath holding. You guys. TWENTY TWO MINUTES. I can do a lot of things in twenty two minutes, surviving under water is not one of them. What is so fascinating is that this Dutchman's method for dropping his resting heart rate is meditation by recalling childhood memories and imprinted mental imagery. Stig! You breath-holding genius. So I played the game myself, except I included breathing, as I tried to fall asleep. This is usually a process for me, falling asleep that is - going to the bathroom a dozen times, tossing and smushing my pillow for optimum head elevation and trying not to think about my list for tomorrow.  I also gave it a go as I was having a cavity filled. Novocaine shots! They make my hands clammy. I need major calming and to mentally go to a happy place.

I got thinking about past family vacations from when we were kids. We never did anything extravagant, but they are some of the most vivid memories I have of childhood. We had yearly trips with other families to San Clemente (yes, 15 minutes south) for beach camping. I remember my dad cursing every time while putting up the tent, orchestrating those long poles in a mangled X over the top, dirt sticking everywhere, we came of age when he offered to pay the teenage boys in the group to do it for him. The kids made the rounds on bikes as the parents unloaded for the weekend. It was here that I timidly rollerbladed, not completely grasping how to use the brake on the heal. Never the athletic one. Always cautious. The Costco size bag of powdered donuts we chipped away at for breakfast, the ones with so much powdered sugar they made your mouth dry or the tuna salad with Ritz crackers my sister and I ate under the bridge that the Amtrak train went over. Us and our favorite girlfriends put our backs up against the wall to feel the heavy vibration of the train rumble through our bodies as it went right over our heads. It was at this campground that we all sat around a campfire with the radio playing through a car stereo the evening Princess Diana died, and where I learned to shave my legs in those public showers that cost a quarter for five minutes of warm water. None of these memories euphoric in nature, but I can see them, like pictures, in my memory, and they are calming for the mere fact that these moments existed. Days, weeks, they're always in motion, but I can think back and time stands still. Maybe that is what is so peaceful about good childhood memories. They never include a hustle, weighty emotions pushed to the periphery of our memory, but they can be recalled as fine, almost delicate snapshots of our own story. 

We have no camping plans coming up, but if I were to replace those powdered donuts today, I would bring along these muffins. They're barely adapted from Rebecca Katz' cookbook. It's a naturally gluten and dairy free recipe, which most of her book is composed of. What I love most is all the great nutritional information in the beginning and how she promotes eating to enhance life, longevity and good health.  I swapped out blueberries for some roasted strawberries, but any small pieces of fruit will do here. Maybe a peach with cinnamon? With mini muffs, you want to be certain the pieces of fruit are small or they take up too much space in the muffin, not leaving enough room for the batter that holds it all together. Take that and run with it, the base recipe is just lovely and simple. The season of the super sweet, gorgeous strawberries is fading, so I roasted some down to stir into the almondy batter. Even if you do use another fruit, promise me you'll roast some strawberries before the summer is over just so you can soak in that smell. Sweet heavens, that smell is going on the list of my happy places next time I get a shot. "I know when to add chocolate chips to a backed good. Always." Thank you, chez Hugh. The chocolate takes them into the perfect afternoon snack category when you need a little something special. Glad to have these in the rotation.

mini roasted strawberry almond meal muffins . sprouted kitchen

MINI ROASTED STRAWBERRY ALMOND MEAL MUFFINS // Makes 24 mini muffins

Recipe adapted from The Longevity Kitchen by Rebecca Katz

The original recipe calls for two cups almond meal. I subbed in a bit of cornmeal because I love how it pairs with berries, the occasional bit of crunch, and wanted to see if I could just barely pull the flavor through.

If using a standard muffin tin, I am guessing you'll want to add about 5-7 minutes to the baking time. Haven't tried it yet, so just keep an eye on them. 

• 1 1/2 cups almond meal

• 1/2 cup cornmeal

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar

• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

• 2 eggs

• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• 2 Tbsp. honey

• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup roasted strawberries*

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips, optional but delicious

mini roasted strawberry almond meal muffins . sprouted kitchen

*Roasted Strawberries: Oven to 350'. Toss 4 cups quartered strawberries with a pinch of salt and 2 tsp. melted coconut oil (or olive oil works too). This will do for ripe, juicy berries. If yours are dry or lacking flavor, add a splash of maple or honey to sweeten. Spread them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until juicy and reduced in size. Set aside to cool. This may yield more than you need for the recipe. Mix the extras in plain yogurt or in your morning oatmeal. 

Preheat the oven to 375'. Prepare a mini muffin tin with paper liners, or coat the pan generously with coconut oil.

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, cornmeal, baking soda, sugar and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, olive oil, honey, almond and vanilla extracts together. Whisk it up real well until fully combined and even in color. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir to mix. The batter will be fairly thick. Fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips. Fill the muffin liners to the top, they don't poof too much.

Bake on the middle rack for 16-18 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Turn the muffins on their sides in the pan, or remove to a wire rack to cool. 

mini roasted strawberry almond meal muffins . sprouted kitchen