Recipes from the Road

One of the perks of WWOOFing is the excellent food we get to eat. Here are a few recipes we thought were so darn good we just had to write them down. Some of them are probably in a cookbook somewhere, but we wanted to combine them here anyway.

Halloumi Cheese

Step 1:
Heat milk to 150 degrees (Fahrenheit) and let cool to 93 degrees. Add the rennet an stir for 1-3 minutes. Let the mixture sit for 45 minutes.

Step 2:
Slice the resulting curds into 1 inch cubes and let them sit for 5 minutes. Warm up the mixture to 104 degrees very slowly (should take 20 minutes to reach desired temperature).



Step 3:
Scoop the curds into a strainer, saving the whey for later, and place them into a cheese press long enough to remove a good amount of the moisture.








Step 4:

Homemade cheese press

Heat the whey to 194 degrees. Cut the pressed cheese into the desired size. Cook the pieces in the whey until they float. Remove the cheese pieces and after they've dried and cooled, place them in brine.

Breakfast:

Sweet Potato Waffles
Make your favorite waffle recipe, or use this one:
2 c assorted flours (we like spelt, buckwheat, rye, oat, corn, etc)
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
2 T sweetener
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1/3 c melted butter
1 t vanilla
Combine dry ingredients, then in a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Mix these together.
Then, the sweet potato part:
1 small sweet potato, grated
2 t grated fresh ginger, or 1 t dry
2 t grated orange rind
Add the sweet potato, ginger, and orange rind to the waffle batter and fire up the waffle maker!

Main Dishes:
 

Tomato Pie
Pie crust:
Use whatever pie crust works for you, but if you need a super easy recipe (albeit not the flakiest), here is the one we usually use from Holly's mom:
2 c flour
1/2 c oil or melted butter (melted butter makes it flakier)
1/2 c water
Pinch of salt.
Mix all ingredients into a dough, roll out.

Filling:
3-5 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 c chopped sweet onion
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 c mayonnaise
salt, pepper, and basil to taste
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
Sprinkle onion on bottom of pie crust, along with 1/2 the cheddar cheese, if desired. Arrange sliced tomatoes over the onions. Mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, spices, and remaining cheddar cheese, and spread over tomatoes. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown (may take up to 45 minutes).

Side Dishes:

Massaged Kale Salad
One large bunch of kale (2 cups)
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t salt, more to taste
Tear or cut up the kale into small pieces, toss with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Massage the mixture onto the kale until the kale is nice and tender.

Desserts: 

Incredible Brownies
1 c butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 c sugar (or coconut palm sugar, agave nectar, or maple syrup)
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 c chocolate chips
On stove melt chocolate and butter. Remove from stove and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla; beat until just combined. Stir in flour. Bake in a 9x13 baking pan at 350 for 30 min. Do not overcook, undercook if in doubt.

Super yummy gingerbread
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cloves
1 t powdered mustard (optional)
1 large egg
1 t cinnamon
1 T ginger
1/2 c butter
1 c molasses
1/4 c agave nectar or maple syrup (optional)
1 c hot water
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix the spices in with the butter, then add molasses and egg to the butter mixture. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the hot water. Mix thoroughly after each addition. Bake in a greased 9" square loaf pan at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Oatmeal Pie
Pie crust: use your favorite recipe, or our recipe above under "Tomato pie"
Filling:
1/4 c butter
1/4 c apple sauce
1/2 c sugar or other sweetener
1 c maple syrup
1 c oats
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 T cinnamon
Pour filling into pie crust, bake at 350 until it sets, 20-40 minutes

Raw Fruit Pie
Assorted cut up fruit (mango, berries, pineapple, peaches, banana)
3/4 c each of dates, walnuts, and sunflower seeds
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/2 c cashews
2 T oat, soy, cow, almond, or rice milk
2 T honey

Combine the dates, walnuts, sunflower seeds, nutmeg, and salt in a blender. Press this mixture into a pie pan (this is the crust). Place the fruit in the pie pan. Combine cashews, milk, honey, and, if possible, one strawberry for color, in a blender. Drizzle over fruit mixture.