The October Unprocessed Vault: Day 12

Lyn Bilodeau shares some thoughts on the joys of growing your own food, and some simple but important pointers when first starting out.

Grissini are thin breadsticks, often made with herbs and topped with coarse salt. This easy recipe uses 100% whole wheat flour, which, as you can imagine, makes me very happy indeed.

This Irish Soda Bread is totally unprocessed, healthful, and of course, delicious.

Guar, Xanthan and methylcellulose. One of these is included in almost every gluten-free processed food, but why?

Although I eat a vegetarian diet more often than not, beef jerky is something that deeply appeals to me and satisfies my inner pioneer. It connects me to a time-honored process of preserving food which is deeply rewarding and evokes simpler times.

Cream cheese is undoubtedly scrumptious, but whether you’re vegan, lactose intolerant, cutting down on dairy, or just itching to try something new on your morning toast, DIY vegan cream cheese is one of my favorite things to make.

There is no doubt eating unprocessed does wonders for our health. Ingredients, however, are not the only things we should focus on in our quest to eat better. An overhaul of our food choices also requires that we consider their environmental and human impact.

I love this banana soft serve. It only takes five minutes to make, and despite its sweet & creamy taste, it’s almost as healthy as snacking on a banana.

Fresh figs are flooding the local markets and I love combining them in an autumnal salad with almonds, apple, and a drizzle of honey-infused vinaigrette.

Not to say that all store-bought crackers are Über-processed, but I’m thinking the majority of them wouldn’t pass the Kitchen Test. So if I was really going to embrace this month free of processed foods, I knew I was going to need crackers and I knew I was going to need to make them myself.

Raita is a side dish in Indian cuisine that is meant to cool the palate and soothe the stomach after eating the spicy main course. Prep the ingredients in advance and mix in just a few minutes before serving for a crisp and refreshing side dish to your festive platters.

Despite rational and clear guidelines, even the world of unprocessed eating has its minor controversies and debates. Case in point: Oil.

Roasted squash blended with pantry staples bring together a spicy, savory dip that tastes like fall.