Granola with Dried Cherries

Driving to a coffee shop to hang out with my Stepmom Maryann, we got to talking about what I had recently dumpstered and how I was going to use it...

"I have no idea what I'm going to do with 6 packages of cherries. Maybe freeze them for smoothies or make cobbler? I have to think fast..."
"I'll take a package," Maryann offered.
"What?"
"I'll take a package" she repeated.
"Wait. Since when are you okay with eating dumpstered food?"
"Since now, I guess. I love cherries. I've been really curious about your dumpstering. Your Dad isn't into it, but I'd love to go with you sometime and see what it's all about as long as we don't get arrested. It's like an adventure...and we don't have to tell your father where the food came from."
"It's mostly late at night..."
"That's okay. I'll take a nap or something."

This is REALLY exciting for me. One of my parents interested in DUMPSTERING? Up until now, the only people I've known who dumpster are under the age of 35. For some reason, I had just assumed older people weren't into it. I assumed they have the luxury of affording store-bought food and aren't as invested about landfill usage (or something silly like that).

So, my mind is blown and I'm completely looking forward to opening the world of dumpstering up to my Stepmom. Keep your eyes peeled for an ultra action-packed SENIOR CITIZEN edition of Trash to Table coming up soon!

In the mean time, here's what my Stepmom Maryann recommended I do with my extra cherries - dry them out. Dehydrating fruits and vegetables is a great way to make them last. In the case of cherries, you can add them to granola, cereal, or trail mix, or just munch on them for a snack! I ended up putting them in some home made granola.

DRIED CHERRIES

Ingredients:

- However many cherries you have

Cut your cherries in half (composting the pits) and put them skin side down on a baking sheet covered with tin foil or an oven rack where the cherries won't fall through.
I have a confectioner's oven (which is ideal for dehydrating foods), since it keeps a constant temperature and flow of air going through the oven. However, if you don't have one, you'll need to get a very accurate thermometer for your oven and keep it at a constant temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep the cherries in there for 8-10 hours (overnight is usually a safe bet if you rotate trays and make sure things aren't burning about halfway through the night).

GRANOLA

Granola is great for breakfast, or you can add chocolate chips and turn it into trail mix (I did this to take on an overnight climbing job and it was awesome).

Ingredients:
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups flax seed meal
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (unsalted, unroasted, shelled)
- 1 cup almond slices
- 1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
- 1/2 cup cashews (chopped)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 + 1/4 cup raisins and/or dried cranberries
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- A sprinkle of nutritional yeast (optional)
- (I also added some leftover toasted pumpkin seeds I had)


I ended up putting freshly dumpstered strawberries on top of my granola too!

So, start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and covering a large baking sheet with tin foil.
Next, combine all the nuts, seeds, oats, and flax seed meal.
In a small pot, combine all the wet ingredients as well as the salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Bring it to a boil at around medium heat, then turn the burner off IMMEDIATELY.
Pour it over the nut mixture and stir it around, then spread the stuff on your baking sheet.
Bake it in the oven for around 20-30 minutes, until it's toasted and a bit crispy, maybe stirring once or twice along the way. Take it out to cool down (it will get crispier as it cools).
Stir in your raisins and dried cherries. DONE.
Store in a cool, dry place.

Items not dumpstered or donated: Rolled oats (from the Beet Food Co-Op), sunflower seeds, almonds, honey, spices, vanilla extract, coconut

Pesto Grilled Cheese Flatbread

So, I know I've already given you my home made pesto recipe, but here's one more thing you can do with it - add it to sandwiches for a punch of flavor and wetness (you can also mix it with mayonnaise to make a pesto aioli for cold sandwiches like turkey or cucumber).

PESTO GRILLED CHEESE FLATBREAD



Ingredients:
- Home made or store bought pesto
- Bread (I used some old frozen naan I had dumpstered, but you can really use anything)
- Some kind of cheese (I used a mild white cheddar)
- Tomato, onion, whatever (optional)

I'm sure you all know how to make grilled cheese. If you don't, I'm sure the internet can teach you. Basically, just make a grilled or baked cheese sandwich with pesto, adding your favorite fixin's.

The pesto takes what would normally be kind of a boring lunch and adds more flavor and nutrients. Plus, you can really put anything on a grilled cheese - fresh tomatoes, prosciutto, onions, sprouts - you name it! You can get pretty creative and elevate your grilled cheese sandwiches without too much extra effort.

My pesto grilled cheese pictured here includes raw mild white cheddar, naan, red onions, and a little pepper to taste. I stuck everything in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese was melted (not my usual m.o. for making grilled cheese, but it was faster than usual. Also, this method made the onions aromatic and a littttle soft, but they still retained their texture and crunch). I really liked the naan instead of thick bread, because it made the sandwich function like a flatbread, which is ALSO more exciting than a plain old grilled cheese lunch!

Unrelated: I just made some dank pesto cheesy sunnyside up eggs for breakfast this morning! Just one more use for pesto!

Ingredients not dumpstered or donated: pepper

Spinach-Basil-Cashew Pesto

Homemade pesto is a great way to make almost-wilted, almost-sad spinach (or basil) much happier and live longer. It's the route to take when your spinach is starting to wilt and isn't that appetizing in a salad anymore, but still usable for cooking. Pine nuts are traditional fare for pesto sauce, but I dumpster cashews more often (and they still taste great). You can also add parmesan cheese for protein.

SPINACH-BASIL-CASHEW PESTO
(vegan or vegetarian, depending on parmesan usage)

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch or bag of spinach
- 3 tbsp fresh garlic
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup raw, whole cashews
- 1/4-1/2 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch basil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese (optional)

Using a food processor, finely chop cashews & olive oil.
Add garlic and process again.
Add spinach, basil, & lemon juice (and nutritional yeast and parmesan cheese verrryyy slowly).
Add salt & pepper to taste.
Chill and serve.
In a tupperware, this pesto will last at least a month (without parmesan), oftentimes more.

So, what can you use pesto for?

Pesto tastes great with chicken, salmon, shrimp, tomatoes (bruschetta!), grilled cheese, eggs, and pasta. It's also great to use as a twist on pizza sauce.

Here's how I used my batch of pesto:

CHIK PATTY & PASTA WITH PESTO PARMESEAN CREAM SAUCE
(absolutely not vegan, but very much vegetarian)

Ingredients:
- 1 chik patty (highly recommended)/chicken breast/light protein thing meat whatever
- 2-3 cups pesto
- 1-2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (if it's not in the pesto already)
- 1-2 cups heavy whipping cream
- A butt-ton of nutmeg
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 sprig fresh basil
- A few cups of whatever pasta you have on hand (I used farfalle)

Throw your pesto in a pan at medium-low heat.
As the oil in the pesto starts to melt a bit, stir in cream slowly, mixing constantly with a wooden spoon.
Sprinkle in Parmesan, constantly stirring (this is important, or else burning is imminent).
Everything should start to melt together - don't let the sauce bubble much or the milk will scald.
Sprinkle in a liberal amount of nutmeg (super awesome tip: nutmeg makes all cream sauces taste better. The French know what's up).
Keep adding milk and cheese at medium heat until everything tastes balanced and yummy and the sauce reduces a bit (about 15-20 min).
(Adding the cream looks pretty. Who says food isn't aesthetic?)

Simultaneously cook up your pasta and chik patty/preferred protein.

Mix it all up, shred some fresh basil on top, and enjoy! This is a super-easy recipe that looks impressive.
A word of advice: Microwaving pesto is a bad idea. It separates the oil from everything else and makes your dish all oily and kinda gross. It still tastes good, but the texture is a little weird.

Items not dumpstered or donated: Olive oil, garlic, spices, basil (from window garden), nutritional yeast