Wild Rice, Yam and Beet Soup (an excellent experiment)

I made this soup a few nights ago and was surprisingly delighted at how it turned out. It was one of those I-am-so-hungry-and-my-fridge-selection-is-limited kind of nights, so I acted on impulse and created this delicious soup.
You will need...

Olive oil
1/2 red, 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 medium sized yam, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1 beet, peeled and cubed
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 chilies, minced
1 cup wild rice
8 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
splash of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp nutritional yeast

I like to keep all of the veggies in this soup chopped quite small.

Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger and chilies for three minutes. Add carrots, yam and beets, then season with salt and pepper. Add wild rice and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover it part way with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes. Finish with a splash of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast.

From me to you, a splendid and delightful soup!

Glorious Granola

My friend Oli recently asked me for a cereal recipe and I became immediately nostalgic for this muesli I used to make with my Mom. It's loaded with lots of raw nuts and seeds which makes it satisfying and full of energy. It gets roasted at a low temperature for an hour and comes out golden, crunchy, sweet and lovely. You can get creative with this granola and try out different assortments of nuts, seeds and fruit. I love golden or thompson raisins, dried apricots, and dried cranberries (amazing!!!)This version has wheat germ in it, but if you are intolerant to gluten you can substitute oatbran or ground flax seeds instead.

3 cups rolled oat flakes
2 cups wheat germ
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, unsalted
1/2 cup each hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, roughly chopped
Scant cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup flax oil
1/3 cup maple syrup,
1 cup dried fruit
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour onto a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 225˚F. Gently stir it every 15 minutes. Let it cool and then stir in the dried fruit. Makes about 8 cups.

I love this in the morning with some vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit and a zest of lemon. Yummmmmm!!