Chicago Urban Canyon

We are building an urban homestead, event space, and Air B&B in the heart of Wicker Park. Watch us grow here.

[beautifulpicturesofhealthyfood]

How-to Make Homemade Nut Butters…RECIPE

[beautifulpicturesofhealthyfood]

Fruit Roll Ups - A tasty, healthy snack…VIDEO Recipe

[adoredbyadrienne]

Cute Herb Planter Box perfect for the kitchen. Make it yourself or purchase one just like this from Ebay.

[chicagourbancanyon]

Squash is everywhere this time of year, so many varieties for your cooking pleasure. I had a curry carrot soup at a restaurant and was determined to make some at home, so I made this delicious soup the other day and was surprised at how simple and fast it was to make. (Honestly the most time consuming part was peeling and cutting the butternut squash!) Healthy, hearty, vegan, and just perfect amount of kick for the cool weather. Enjoy!

Curried Butternut Squash & Red Lentil Soup

1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 onion (diced) 3 cloves garlic (minced) 1 butternut squash (peeled and diced) 3 carrots (diced) 1 tbsp curry powder 1 cup red lentils 3 cups vegetable broth 1 can coconut milk

-Heat olive oil in a large sauce pot. -Throw in garlic and onions, and cook until they smell delicious and the onions become slightly translucent. -Then add butternut squash and carrots for a minute, add curry powder cook for about a minute as well. -Next add in the lentils, coconut milk, and veggie broth and mix well. -Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-18 mins. -When everything is soft and fully cooked, use an immersion blender to make the soup your preferred consistency, adding more broth or water to thin it if you’d like. -Enjoy!

Tip: Goes well with water crackers or naan. Freezes well!

[chicagourbancanyon]

Well into November and our Rainbow Chard is still going strong! I love all the different colored stems all together, especially as the landscape gets grayer and more sparse. Threw these into some delicious eggs.

[yummyinmytumbly]

Diablo Eyeballs {taco meatballs} and Black Bean Pasta

[chicagourbancanyon]

Happy Halloween!

[chicagourbancanyon]

First attempt at making Posole Rojo was a huge success. It's a delicious combination of deep hearty pork soup, and bright crispy buttery toppings. Got a great piece of meat from Whole Foods, had leftover homemade chicken broth, and had a lot of fun rehydrating the chiles for the base sauce. The chiles part is by far the most involved and time consuming part of the process, but totally worth it. Have some saved in the freezer for later! Recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/posole-rojo-recipe.html

[chicagourbancanyon]

It's beet season!! Really proud of our first beet harvest this year. These lovelies are getting roasted and put into a salad with their beet greens, farro, walnuts, and goat cheese. I can't get enough beets so after this garden success I plan to grow even more for next year. Or might even try growing an overwintering variety I've got laying around. (PS. My beets were DELICIOUS) used this recipe: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016092-farro-salad-with-beets-beet-greens-and-feta

[amartinez]

rainbow chard! tomatoes! bell peppers! sage! basil! eggplant! Also some beets are ready, but I need some time to work through this bounty before I go picking anything else. Tonight we feast! #endofsummer #harvest #chicagourbanhomestead #urbangarden #plantparty #growyourown #wishilikedsagemore (at Wicker Park, Chicago)

[succulentsandclay]

My cactus seedlings are about 8 months old now. Just repotted them in tiny pots.

[yummyinmytumbly]

Chinese Ribs w/ a Sesame Crust

[amartinez]

This is my son. This is my eggplant. #babyticus #eggplant #summer #bounty

[chicagourbancanyon]

Bakery style blueberry streusel muffins from Little Sweet Baker http://littlesweetbaker.com/2015/02/13/bakery-style-blueberry-streusel-muffins/ This is a fantastic recipe that I'll definitely be making again!

[chicagourbancanyon]

Alton Brown is my fucking hero. These are the best brownie I've ever made or eaten.

[chicagourbancanyon]

“What you gain is so much more than what you give up. “

Science proves whole foods, plant-based diets are good for you, and cutting fats is superior to cutting carbs...go figure! 

The Myth of the High Protein Diets. 

[greatfoodlifestyle]

This simple, healthy egg salad recipe is a great way to use up your Easter eggs!  I served mine on avocados for a super low carb, filling lunch. 

Recipe Here. 

[chicagourbancanyon]

Happy Easter, all! A great idea for your Easter eggs post-Easter! 

[biodiverseed]

Processing Clay the Easy Way: Water Extraction

Practical Primitive // January 2008 issue of Practically Seeking

Today, we usually think of clay as being used for pottery, but in truth, the uses are almost endless. For thousands of years humans have used this substance for a whole host of things, from pigments to medicines.

One of the most abundant materials on earth, clay can be found almost anywhere — just look for areas where the ground has broken into a bark like pattern (as on a tree) or areas where water tends sit longer after a heavy rain.

Clay can be extracted from many of these sources quite easily, and whether you plan to use it for pottery or one of the multitude of other traditional uses, the goal is to remove as many impurities as possible and the process is the same. While some clay deposits are pure enough to be used raw straight out of the ground, these are the exception; most clay is found in conjunction with sand.  

Read more 

#DIY #soil science #tools