Friday, November 30, 2018

Fermented Ketchup

I've tried many fermented ketchup recipes. So far, I'm the only one who is a fan of any of them.  So, I've combined a few recipes. We'll see what the family thinks.

What you need:
2 7oz.  Jars organic tomato paste
2 Tbs raw honey
3 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
2 Tbs whey

What you do:
Combine all ingredients in bowl
Mix well
Place in pint Mason jar
Close lid tightly
Place on counter for 2 to 3 days
Transfer to refrigerator
Enjoy!

Friday, September 28, 2018

Lectin-Reduced, Fermented Salsa

1 7oz. Jar organic tomato paste
Filtered water 7 oz.
1/4 onion
4 cloves garlic
Large handful of cilantro
Juice from one lemon or lime
1 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Cayenne
3 Tbs. whey

Blend all ingredients in VitaMix until smooth. Place in 24 oz. mason jar. Place lid on tightly. Leave on counter for up to 2 days, then refrigerate. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Coconut Curry Cauliflower Soup

I've been trying to create simple recipes for people following the low lectin/ ketogenic eating plan. This soup has only a few ingredients, doesn't take long to make and tastes pretty darn good.

What you need:
 1 large head of cauliflower cut into fourths
 4 white onions peeled and cut into fourths
 10 or more garlic cloves
 5 to 6 cups bone broth
 1 can coconut milk
 Butter (I used 1/2 stick)
 Curry powder
 Cayenne Pepper
 Sea salt and pepper

What you do:
 In medium size stock pot, put cauliflower, onions, garlic and bone broth
 Heat (covered) over medium heat until the veggies are tender
 In several batches, blend this in VitaMix, using less liquid (you can always add more, but I like this   soup very thick)
 After all the veggies and broth have been blended,  add coconut milk and butter
 Season with curry, cayenne, salt and pepper


I topped our soup with fried sage. (I heated some coconut oil in a shallow pan, put sage leaves in in a single layer, let fry for a few minutes, used a spatula to remove from pan to a plate covered with a paper towel, then sprinkled chunky Celtic sea salt.) If we were not on this specific eating plan, I think a big dollop of creme freshe and some crispy bacon sprinkles would work! ;-)




Monday, June 18, 2018

What We're Eating on a Low Lectin/ Ketogenic Plan

Being a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I know that our bodies are all different. An eating plan that works for one person, may not be healthy for another. (However, I know that ALL bodies benefit from greatly reducing processed foods, refined sugar and carbs and completely eliminating genetically modified corn and soy, processed seed oils, rancid fats and factory farms meats. Just sayin'.😁) The ketogenic diet has created quite a buzz recently, possibly with benefits for people with cancer. And...since my husband likes us to try the programs he recommends to his patients, we are in the midst of a lectin free (or at least greatly reduced), ketogenic plan. The following sample menu (what we are actually eating this very day😃) is for the first three days, so even more specific (a nice way of saying restrictive) than the regular keto-cancer protocol. By day four, we can add back eggs, some high quality dairy, some nuts, root veggies and a bit more meat.


Breakfast:
Bullet Proof Coffee (yummy and frothy and filling from all those healthy fats)
~Cold brew coffee, with hot water, coconut oil and butter blended for 20 seconds in the VitaMix
Green Shake (the avocado makes this creamy and delicious)
~In VitaMix add a handful of each: dandelion greens, mustard greens, bok choy, cilantro, parsley, basil, add a big chunk of fresh ginger (peeled) and a small chunk of fresh turmeric (peeled), fresh lemon juice, 1/2 avocado, sea salt and a bit of black pepper. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds

Lunch:
Salad 
~Mixed green leaf and red leaf lettuce, arugula, radicchio and celery. (I finely chop this salad base)  Top with avocado, salmon/sardine salad (only made with out eggs) and fermented carrots or cauliflower. Drench (well, not exactly drench, but, you know...healthy fats!) in extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil with a little fresh squeezed lemon juice and Celtic sea salt

Dinner:
Chicken Pot Pie Soup (only made without root veggies or carrots)


Just a reminder...I use almost all organic ingredients (I'm a little lax on avocados), cultured butter from grass fed cows, pastured eggs and organic produce hopefully grown locally.

Tuna Salad (only without tuna)

Instead of tuna, this salad calls for sardines and salmon. Like I've stated before, we eat very few foods that come from cans. However, the benefits of sardines and salmon make this recipe worth it every now and then.

What you need:
1 tin sardines, drained and finely chopped so the little spines aren't recognizable 😜
1 can wild caught salmon, drained
2 eggs (I boil mine for 6 to 8 minutes for a very runny yoke), chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 onion, finely chopped
Homemade mayonnaise
Curry powder
Garlic powder
Sea salt and pepper

What you do:
 Place the first five ingredients in a mixing bowl
 Add mayonnaise to your liking
 Season with curry powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to your liking
 Store in airtight container in refrigerator
 Enjoy alone, on crackers, wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf or coconut wrap or on a green salad!

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is usually made with soybean oil (which is most likely genetically modified if it isn't organic). I have avoided mayo for years, but am enjoying eating it now that I have found a few healthy versions!


This one is from Nourished Kitchen.

What you need:
 3 egg yolks
 1/2 tsp. sea salt
 2 Tb. lemon juice
 1 Tb. water
 1 1/2 cup avocado oil

What you do:
 Drop eggs yolks into VitaMix
 Add salt, lemon juice and water
 Put lid on and pulse several times to combine
 Set VitaMix on a low, even speed
 Working 1/2 cup at a time, pour oil in blender allowing to drip at a very thin, smooth stream until   mayo thickens
 Store mayo in glass jar in refrigerator for up to a week
 To ferment: Add 2 tablespoons whey, stir, close lid and place on counter for 6 hours


This is from Tastes Lovely.

What you need:
 1 cup avocado oil
 1 large egg
 1 tsp lemon juice
 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
 1/4 tsp sea salt

What you do:
 In a pint size Mason jar, add all ingredients
 With an immersion blender on high, start at the bottom and hold for 20-30 seconds
 Slowly lift immersion blender as mayo emulsifies
 Total blending time should be 1 to 1 1/2 minutes
 Keeps in fridge for up to 4 weeks




Saturday, June 9, 2018

Einkorn Sourdough Bread (rough draft)

I'm just giving this written recipe a shot. Watching someone guide you through the process is very beneficial. I learned from the wonderful Min Kim. Her True Sourdough Bread e-book is worth purchasing. Here is a YouTube video that may be helpful. The process seems complicated. But, once you've gone through it a few time, it's simple! Here are the written instructions. (And, I'm trying to learn how to post photos so you can see the tools and flours needed. I'm techy-challenged😉)


Waking up starter (if my starter has been in the refrigerator):
Using a 1/2 gallon glass canister or a quart Mason jar, add
65 grams starter
65 grams organic all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill or Whole Foods brand)
65 grams filtered water
Mix well with spoon
Cover with dish towel and set on counter
Feed once or twice a day
(3 feedings are recommended before making bread if starter was in the fridge)

Feeding my starter:
To starter add
50 grams all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill or Whole Foods brand)
50 grams water
Mix well with spoon
(I feed my starter every evening. In warmer months it's recommended to feed twice a day. If I have more than 2 cups starter, I start dumping some out, or it can be used in recipes that call for starter)

Making my levain:
In pint Mason jar add
30 g starter
75 g Einkorn all purpose flour
75 g water
Mix well with spoon
Cover with dish towel and let sit on counter until it doubles or 2 1/2 times in size, usually 8 to 10 hours
(I put a rubber band around where the starter is to see how much it rises. I make my levain in the mornings, so I can build my dough in the afternoon/evening)

Building my dough:
In large glass bowl add
770 g water (in cooler weather I add a bit of water that's been boiling)
165 g of levain (the levain should float)
Mix with dough whisk
Add
300 g Einkorn all purpose flour
300 g sprouted spelt (or rye or Korashan)
Mix with dough whisk
Add
500 g Einkorn all purpose flour
30 g sea salt
Mix well with hands and talk to God and thank Him for the bread and for the people who will be eating it
(Since I am usually building my dough in the afternoon or evening, I leave it on my counter, covered with a dish rag until bed time)
Cover with plastic wrap and leave on counter for 12 hours or more. It usually doubles in size by the morning and smells wonderfully yeasty!

Shaping my dough:
I place lots of Einkorn all purpose flour on my butcher block counter
Scoop out the dough onto the floured surface
Separate the dough in half with bench knife
Using the bench knife fold into a ball
Stretch and fold to make a taut ball
In a brotform bowl or other bowl, place a cloth napkin in it and dust it with a mixture of 1/2 white rice flour and 1/2 Einkorn all purpose flour
Add the dough ball, seam side up
Repeat with other 1/2 of dough
Cover both bowls with cloth napkins
Let sit for an hour, then place in refrigerator until it's time to bake
(I am usually shaping my dough in the morning. So I can be baking my bread in the late morning. But, usually my two bowls sit in my refrigerator until late afternoon so we can have hot bread with dinner!)

Baking my bread:
Set Dutch Oven (with cover) in oven and preheat at 500º
Once oven reaches 500º take one of the shaped doughs out of fridge and dust with rice/Einkorn mixture
With mitts that can withstand 500º (super important as the pot and lid are extremely hot) remove lid
Turn dough upside down into pot and dust top
Using a sharp razor blade, score the dough
Place lid back on and put in oven
Bake at 500º for 20 minutes
Decrease oven to 465º, remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes
When baking is done, carefully remove bread from pot and place on rack to cool

Let cool for a few hours on wire rack (I've been known to wait a few minutes). Slice or tear off chunks and enjoy with LOTS of raw butter!

Sample time frame:
If my starter has been in the refrigerator and I want to bake bread for Friday dinner...
Monday evening: take starter out of fridge and follow directions for waking up starter
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings: feed starter 50g all-purpose flour and 50g filtered water
Thursday morning: make levain
Thursday afternoon (about 8 to 10 hour later): build dough
Thursday evening before bed: place plastic wrap over bowl of dough
Friday morning (12 or more hours after building dough): shape dough
1 hour later: place the two proofing bowls in fridge
2 to 6 hours later: bake bread!



Saturday, June 2, 2018

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

After Greg read Plant Paradox, he thought that this way of eating may be beneficial to some of his patients who struggle with health issues that they can't seem to resolve. So, as usual, we decided to try it! This soup is a variation of the soup my sister, Debbi, introduced to me, only this version omits high lectin foods.

What you need:
One large whole chicken (We get our meat at Primal Pastures)
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
Sea salt
Pepper
For the creamy part of the soup:
One head green cabbage
One head cauliflower
One large rutabaga (or other root veggie)
For the chunky part of the soup:
Ghee
One large onion, chopped
Several carrots, peeled and diced
Several celery stalks, chopped
1 pound of mushrooms, cleaned and cut
1 pound of Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut into fourths
Several garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Spinach, chard, kale, cleaned and finely chopped
For deliciousness:
Butter

Equipment:
Crock pot
Vita Mix
1 large stock pot
1 very large stock pot


What you do:
Place the chicken in crock pot
Add filtered water to cover chicken
Add rosemary
Add sea salt and pepper
Cook on low for about 8 hours

Remove chicken
Strain liquid broth into large stock pot
Once chicken has cooled, remove skin and place skin in Vita Mix
Take meat off chicken, chop and set aside
Save bones for making bone broth later

In the stock pot with the liquid from the chicken, add:
1 head green cabbage cut into big chunks (I cut the head into 4 pieces)
1 head cauliflower broken into large chunks
1 large root veggie, peeled and cut into large chunks
Some peeled garlic cloves
Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and cook until all the veggies are tender
Set aside to cool a bit

In even larger stock pot, saute onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts in ghee
Add garlic and greens toward the end

When veggie/broth mix cools a bit, use a Pyrex measuring cup to transfer in batches to Vita Mix
Blend in batches (the first batch will include the chicken skin)
Add each batch to the larger stock pot with the chopped veggies cooking
Continue to cook on medium/low for as long as you like (not so long for firmer veggies, longer for soft)
Add  the chopped chicken
Then, add as much butter as you like (I like lots)
 Salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!

This soup freezer well. I use quart Mason jars. Remember to not fill
all the way to the top, to leave room for expansion when frozen.