WESTERN PRODUCER — It may not be officially winter yet, but it has definitely arrived on the Prairies. This means cool weather, more time spent indoors and perhaps more opportunity to spend time experimenting in the kitchen.
When we sit down to eat, we should savour the flavours, enjoy the experience while fuelling our bodies and we should not get in a rut of preparing the same old thing over and over. Try new recipes, a new food or a different way of preparing a dish.
Something that is new to our pantry is hemp hearts and oil. Hemp hearts are the soft inside of a hulled hemp seed. These little hearts offer a nutty taste and are a great way to boost nutrition of any meal with a dose of complete plant protein and omega 3 and 6.
Three tablespoons of hemp hearts offer 10 grams of protein and 12 grams of omegas 3 and 6, healthy fats. Hemp foods also offer nutrients like magnesium, fibre, zinc and iron. This kind of food addition is what we need as we power through flu season and eat for prevention to manoeuvre the upcoming holidays.
Hemp seeds are available on grocery store shelves and health food stores. This type of hemp will not give you a high, it contains less than .001 percent Tetrahydrocannabinal (THC).
Add hemp hearts to a smoothie, yogurt, cereal, porridge, greens, roasted vegetables, sauces, taco fillings and baked goods. You can get creative and this is what makes food preparation fun.
You could also try hemp seed oil, which is cold-pressed with a nutty flavor. It is also good to add to a smoothie, but also in dressings and dips or for drizzling. I mix it with my prepared salad dressings to give more nutrition. It is not ideal for sautéing because the smoke point is low. This omega rich oil is also great to apply straight onto our parched winter skin and hair because it hydrates and soothes.
Berry hemp smoothie
When I started using hemp, I found the Manitoba Harvest website useful at www.manitobaharvest.ca. This is a recipe adapted from the site. Serving size: one to two glasses.
- 1 c. frozen mixed berries 250 mL
- 1-2 frozen bananas (two bananas if making two servings)
- large handful or two of spinach or fresh greens
- 3 tbsp. hemp hearts 45 mL
- 2 tbsp. hemp oil (optional) 30 mL
- non-dairy milk or water to preferred consistency*
Place all ingredients in blender and blend for one to two minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Add liquid to the consistency that you want and enjoy.
Note: Add less milk if you would like a thicker smoothie. I also added some hemp oil.
Hemp topped yogurt bowls
Fill a small dessert bowl with a yogurt of your choice, preferably a high protein variety such as Greek, which is also low in sugar (check the label but do not use any artificially sweetened yogurt) and contains some fat like a two percent. I prefer a plain, vanilla, lemon or cherry-flavoured variety.
Sprinkle yogurt with about two tablespoons of ground hemp. Top with chopped nuts and any berries or seasonal fruit. And of course, a little ground flax will put this yogurt bowl over the top.
Creamy hemp milk
Try this as an alternative milk.
- 1/2 c. hemp hearts 125 mL
- 4 c. water 1 L
Optional:
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup, honey, sugar or two to three pitted dates 15 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
Add hemp seeds, water and any additional sweeteners to a high-powered blender.
Blend for a minimum of one minute or until the milk is nice and creamy.
Pour the hemp milk into a sealable container. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Note: If you want your hemp milk to be thicker and creamier, use less water. If it seems to have a lot of sediment, you can strain it through a small screen or through a cloth. Makes eight small glasses. Source: www.downshiftology.com
Hemp oatmeal cookies
The oats, hemp and nuts give these chewy cookies some great fibre. This recipe is an old standby at our house.
- 1 c. butter, softened 250 mL
- 1 c. brown sugar, packed 250 mL
- 1/2 c. white sugar 125 mL
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla 5 mL
- 2 c. flour 500 mL
- 1 tsp. of each baking soda and powder 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 c. oatmeal 250 mL
- 1/2 c. hemp seed 125 mL
- 1 1/2 c. chopped nuts such as walnuts, almonds or pecans 375 mL
- 1 c. chocolate chips 250 mL
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
Cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, hemp hearts, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture until just blended. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips. Form into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Yield: 72 cookies.
Note: the original recipe called for a full cup of white sugar. I have cut this back since I thought it to be too sweet. The choice is yours.
Ginger hemp sprinkles
These spiced cookies are a great accompaniment to a hot drink on a crisp cool morning or with a cool glass of milk after school. These cookies are my favourite so I decided to add a boost of healthy hemp hearts to the mix to ease my guilt.
- 3/4 c. butter 175 mL
- 1 c. brown sugar 250 mL
- 1/4 c. molasses 60 mL
- 1 egg
- 2 c. flour 500 mL
- 2 tsp. baking soda 10 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 tsp. ground ginger 5 mL
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 5 mL
- dash of ground nutmeg and cloves of more spice if desired (optional)
- 1/4 c. hemp hearts 60 mL
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg until combined and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, measure the flour, soda, salt, spices and hemp hearts into a bowl and blend.
Stir into the creamed mixture and shape the dough into balls (approximately 1 inch/2.5 cm).
Roll the dough in white sugar and place about two inches (five centimetres) on a greased baking sheet. Bake for eight minutes. Cool. Makes approximately 10 to 12 cookies.
Hemp and oatmeal energy bars
An alternative way to make a batch of cookies. A non-flour sweet treat.
- 1/2 c. butter 125 mL
- 1/2 c. white sugar 125 mL
- 1 c. brown sugar 250 mL
- 3 eggs 3
- 1 1/2 c. peanut butter 375 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla 5 mL
- 2 tsp. baking soda 10 mL
- dash of salt
- 4 1/2 c. oatmeal 1.125 L
- 4 tbsp. ground hemp hearts 60 mL
- 1 c. chocolate chips 250 mL
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
Cream the butter and sugars together. Add eggs and peanut butter and mix. Stir in vanilla, baking soda, salt, oatmeal and hemp hearts. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread it in a lightly greased 10 x 15 inch pan and bake for 25 minutes. Don’t over bake or it will be too dry.
Hemp heart pumpkin nut bread
Pair with a slice of cheese.
- 3 c. flour 750 mL
- 5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 25 mL (or a combination of 3 tsp./15 mL cinnamon, 1 tsp./ 5 mL nutmeg, 1/2 tsp./2 mL cloves and 1/4 tsp./1 mL ginger)
- 2 tsp. baking soda 10 mL
- 1 tsp. salt 5 mL
- 3 c. sugar 750 mL
- 2 c. canned pumpkin 500 mL
- 4 eggs
- 1 c. oil 250 mL
- 1/2 c. orange juice (fresh squeezed is best) 125 mL
- 1/2 c. chopped nuts of your choice 125 mL
- 1/2 c. hemp hearts 125 mL
- 1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries 250 mL
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
Prepare two loaf pans. Combine the flour, spice, soda and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and orange juice. Beat until well combined, then gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the nuts and cranberries and pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and remove from the pans. Source: www.food.com.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.
