Sneak Peaks, Buckwheat Granola and Vida Vegan.

August has been super busy a-go-go, and it's gonna get even busier. I've been sewing like a madwoman trying to get ready for the Vida Vegan Bloggers' Conference. I have no idea how I arrived in Portland from a super hot climate like New Orleans with ZERO summer dresses to my name, so I made three this week. My friend Sarai is the mad-genius behind Colette Patterns and since her blog is hosting a sew-along this month for a pattern I've been wanting to make for ages (The Rooibus), I dug in.



If you already have a copy of my new Ethiopian zine, then you also know I'm mad at work getting another one finished. It's also gonna be xgfx (¡claro que si!) and filled with recipes inspired by India, Vietnam, New Orleans plus random fun stuff, sweets and whatever else slithers my dithers.

Here's a recipe I've been eating everyday which I'm planning to include. Dehydrated granola that can be all raw if you use raw agave, or you can try baking it at a low temperature like regular granola (though I haven't tried to do that yet). It's a great base recipe for a healthy, low fat cereal. It's not super sweet either, so I like to eat it with tons of fresh berries, since they're all over Portland right now.

Dehydrated Buckwheat Granola
Makes about 1/2 gallon, so feel free to reduce the recipe for smaller quantities.

What You Need:

• 5 cups raw buckwheat groats, soaked for at least an hour and drained (Buckwheat gets slimy after it's been soaked, so be sure to rinse it off really well after the initial drain, then drain again to get all of the extra water out).
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats, or another grain flake like quinoa
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup golden flax-meal
  
• 1 cup nuts (pictured here was a combination of raw cashew pieces and hemp)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used dried cherries that my friend Amy shared with me)

What You Do:

1. In a large bowl, combine the groats, flakes, cinnamon, salt, flax and nuts.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine the vanilla, maple syrup and coconut oil.
3. Mix the liquid ingredients into the grain mixture until all is moist and well combined.
4. Mix in the dried fruit.
   
5. Spread onto dehydrator trays about 1/2" thick and dehydrate overnight around 110F.
   
6. When thoroughly dry and crisp, break into clumps and store in an airtight container.
   

Notes on this stuff: I've made this all sorts of different ways, so please feel like you can switch it around to suit your wants: leave out the coconut oil or add a tablespoon more, add in other goodies like coconut flakes or nut butter (mix the nut butter into the maple syrup mixture), make it sweeter by adding more maple syrup, agave nectar, date puree, or by dissolving some sugar into the maple syrup.

I wanted to include this photo to show that it forms great nuggets, too. That's an important quality for me to like granola. If you've never soaked buckwheat before, it's pretty interesting. It gets quite soft after an hour and smells a little sour, but once you rinse, drain and dehydrate it, it turns into really neutral tasting, light crispy bits. It's a great texture for cereal or yogurt topping.

Vee likes it a lot, too. He finds it induces an increased state of relaxation and an ability to practice free-thinking.

"Home is Made of Love Alone"

Finally, a few sneak peaks at some of the bags I've been sewing and will have for sale at the conference (plus my zine). Many of these are mini backpacks, designed to be worn on one shoulder like the one you wore in the 90s, but CUTE!

If you're in PDX, you can purchase Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian Food from Food Fight, Herbivore and Native Bowl.
xo
kittee