Salt & Humor

It is no lie that I love bread.  I really enjoy making my own bread, either by hand or in the bread machine.  I will usually make a loaf of bread last two weeks or more, by placing the sliced loaf in the freezer and only having a piece in the morning.  It seems I rarely need to turn to a recipe book because I find most ideas from other blogs. A while ago I made quinoa bread from this site.

It may be safe to say that this my favorite bread (for now)!  I used regular quinoa, as I did not have red.

My last visit to Reno, I came back with my mom’s sourdough book. I have only tried a few recipes so far.  This one is Jason’s favorite; banana sourdough.

Just recently I tried making brick bread from this site.

This bread is definitely one that you should plan out.  It takes a few days and is made in steps.  All in all, it was worth it.  You have to be in the mood for this bread.  It is really heavy and dense.  To make the brick bread I needed to sprout adzuki beans.  I wanted to share my method for sprouting.  I used to rinse the beans in a strainer every time and it was nowhere near as efficient.

1.) Soak the beans for 12 hours

2.) Rinse and let sit for another 8-12 hours.  They should be out of the way direct sunlight.  The temperature should be room temperature. 

This is what the beans look like after 12 hours of soaking.  I then cover the top of the jar with two layers of cheese cloth and screw metal ring down.  This is what makes rinsing so easy.

I just put the jar upside down in my dish drainer or lay the jar on it’s side on the counter.

3.) Rinse with cold water every 8-12 hours for about 2-3 days.

This is what mine looked like at day four.  That morning, they looked good so I rinsed one more time and placed them in the refrigerator.

*NOTE that the beans or seeds will usually yield two times or more than what you start with.  So, even though it doesn’t look like much when you start, know that you will have plenty.

I had more than the 1/3 cup that the recipe called for, so I have been slowly munching on them.  Last night, I tossed some in my stir fry and tonight I just had a few plain.  You could also have them is salads, soup or even in your oatmeal. Sprouting is fun and a great way to add dense nutrition to your diet.  The run down on adzuki is pretty good, if you ask me.

Have your tried sprouting?

Sometimes, the simpler the better.  My 8th grade art teacher used to tell us that ALL the time.  Mrs. Killian was probably my favorite teacher of all time!! Little did I know, that that saying pretty much applies to most of life (in my opinion).  So, breakfast was simple this morning.  Coffee and cream, dry toast and a fried egg.

These eggs are from chickens right next door!

AhHemm….ah yes, I did sneak those photos though knot-holes in the fence.  Lucky for me, I was able to receive fresh, organic eggs from the neighbors.

Check out this bread I found the other day!! Local bakery, 4 g fiber and 4 g protein per slice, I’ll take it! Anyone else check those stats before buying bread? Green Earth Baking is right here in Portland!  How cool is that!! I am anxious to try their other breads as well!

If you’re interested, you should check out their philosophy and practice. If only more manufacturers would follow such guidelines!

This tulip seems to be out pretty early this year.  Oh, well, I am not complaining.  Tulips are for sure, one of my favorite flowers.

I have a few random eats to catch up on. Just haven’t been making fun meals and taking good photos lately, I guess.  No worries though, I have a few to share.

This was a killer sandwich! It was on homemade bread.  It is my favorite bread recipe, so I just keep sticking to it for now.  The filling was tempeh, cheddar, bbq sauce and avocado.  I also made butternut squash fries with bbq sauce and mustard to dip.

Wednesday we made turkey chili with black and pinto beans.  It seriously hit the spot! As usual, I loved every bit of the cornbread, especially topped with smart balance and honey!  I never need an excuse to make cornbread.  :)

This super filling breakfast kept my full from 10 to 4:30! Can you believe I stuck those slices of tempeh in the pan with Jason’s bacon!! Sheesh! Pretty tasty if I have to admit!

Can’t believe it is the end of the weekend already.  Enjoy the rest of the Sunday night!!

Today was a cloudy, dark rainy day.  Jason had a surprise day off, so we slept in and went to see a matinée.  Sherlock Holmes was great.  Any Robert Downey fans out there? I had a left-over burrito before we went.  That way I woudn’t have any popcorn or soda.  The key is to go full.  Afternoon snack was the heel piece of toast with some yogurt cheese and black cherry jam.

Since this was my last piece of bread I figured it was a good time to make a loaf in the bread machine.  I used this recipe.  The only ingredients I didn’t have were the amaranth and brown rice flour.  I just used whole wheat flour there.  Oh, and I didn’t have poppy seeds.

HOORAY! This is my first whole wheat bread in the bread machine where the top didn’t cave in. This bread really lives up to the title; “BEST.” This was for sure the best bread I have been able to make in the bread machine.  I will be making this again soon for sure.  Next time I want to get the missing ingredients though.

Cloudy days like today are perfect for making soup.  Well, actually any day is god for making soup if you ask me.

I started with soup’s usual suspects (carrot, celery and onion) sautéed with a little bit of olive oil.  Then I added vegetable broth and 1/2 a bay leaf. Simmered for about 30 minutes and added green beans, black beans and kale.  I stirred in a little bit of soy milk and browned tofu at the end.  Topped with carrot and beet shreds.  I had a little extra from the burritos.

I took yesterday and today off from my workouts.  I will be getting a good one in tomorrow.  Happy Friday!

I slack again! Ask my brother, one of my nicknames is, Slacker. HA! Today, I am a slacker because I DID NOT make it to the gym.  Instead, i did this:

Oops!

I was going to do a Jillian Michaels workout when I got home.  I have excuses, I swear.  Bottom line; tomorrow it’s going to happen, I swear.

Last night I made ciabatta bread. What-Ev! Really it was just a yummy white flour blob.  It’s that bread machine that makes shitty bread, I think.  Well, it’s not like I would have made it otherwise.  So, I guess the machine comes in handy from time to time.

This was an allrecipes.com knock off. No biggie!

It did have fresh garlic and rosemary though….nope, still just a processed, white flour blob! The part that did have me groovin though, was this:

YES!  The bread was just a reason to sop up as much vinegar as possible.  Possibly even enough to choke a little.

Tonight, my eats were simple.  I got off track, talked on the phone for too long and sipped a bit of grape juice was only cooking for one. Twas a simple grilled sandwich thingy.  Is it called a wrap or a sangwich??

Flatout,  kale, tomato, veggie burger, sabra hummus, and yellow mustard, of course.  It was pretty good. Heh!

Time to catch up a few of my favorite bloggies.  I might just make nog ice cream.  What is that you say?  Well, you will just have to wait and see.