EATING HOMEGROWN

Denman Island corn and our own tomatoes and basil for lunch...




BC blueberry pancakes (made with my vegan pancake mix)


Zucchini Bisque-- delicious and uses up 2 1/2 lbs. of zucchini in one recipe!

MAKING APPLESAUCE THE EASY WAY:
I use a food mill or mouli. There are a variety of them on the market-- mine is this one. Here's an all-stainless-steel one.

For smooth applesauce, you just wash the apples and cut them into quarters-- no peeling (unless there are bad spots), not coring, not stemming, even! Toss them in a big pot with a little water and cook until soft.

Then you place the food mill (I use the plate with the larger holes) over a large pot or bowl and feed the cooked apples through, cranking the handle (it's not hard). When you're done, you have the seeds, stems (if any) and skins left in the mill and a big pot of smooth applesauce! Sweeten if desired and can or freeze. (I freeze mine in little containers to use primarily in low-fat baking.  (In recipes that call for oil, you can use use approximately 3 parts smooth unsweetened applesauce to 1 part oil, but be sure to use pastry or cake flour, or low-gluten or GF flours, for best results. This doesn't work as well in recipes calling for solid fats, but you can experiment. You can also experiment with using no oil, but sometimes the baked goods come out a little too chewy that way!)






What's left behind...


The results!

Here's one of the recipes I mentioned in my blog the post before last:



Printable Recipe

SUMMER BULGUR AND GREEN BEAN SALAD (with my changes--BCG)
by Tyler Florence for Food & Wine magazine
This was a lovely salad and simple to make. I made some changes according to what I had in the house.

2 cups boiling water
2 cups medium (#2) bulgur (11 ounces)
1 pound thin green beans
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (I just used slightly larger red tomatoes, cut in half-- BCG)
1/2 cup roasted salted almonds, coarsely crushed (I used toasted unsalted slivered almonds--BCG)
1/4 cup coarsely shredded mint leaves (I had no mint, so used fresh basil instead-- BCG)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large, heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgur. Cover the bowl and let stand until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and boil over high heat until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then pat dry. Cut the green beans crosswise.

In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice and olive oil. Fluff the bulgur with 2 forks. Add the green beans, tomatoes, almonds, mint (or basil) and lemon dressing. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer the bulgur salad to a large serving bowl and serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.

The salad can be refrigerated overnight. Add the tomatoes, almonds and mint (or basil) just before serving.
Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 237.8 calories; 37% calories from fat; 10.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 12.1mg sodium; 371.0mg potassium; 33.9g carbohydrates; 9.4g fiber; 2.1g sugar; 24.5g net carbs; 6.8g protein; 4.8 points.

Hope you're having a good summer!