Fermented Cabbage and Root Veggies

We eat a little bit of fermented veggies almost every day. If fermenting is new to you, you may want to start with just cabbage...very easy! You only need cabbage, sea salt, whey and filtered water. Once you've tried that, start experimenting with a variety of veggies.

What you need:
 1 head organic cabbage
 1 peeled turnip
 1 peeled parsnip
 3 peeled carrots
 1/4 large red onion
 3 cloves garlic
 1 bag organic arugula
 Zest on 1 lemon
 Juice of 1 lemon
 Salt
 Whey*

What you do:
 Remove a few large cabbage leaves from cabbage head
 Finely chop or grate (food processor works well) cabbage, turnip, parsnip, carrots, onion and garlic
 Place in large bowl
 Add finely chopped arugula
 Zest lemon into bowl
 Squeeze lemon juice into bowl
 Mix well with hands
 Place in Mason jars (this recipe fit into 3 one quart Mason jars)
 Push veggies down, leaving an inch or two on top
 In glass measuring cup, add about 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 cup whey
 (For every quart of veggies, the ratio is 1 Tbs. salt and 1/4 cup whey)
 Mix to dissolve salt and pour over veggies in one of the Mason jars
 Add more water, up to an inch of top of jar
 Repeat this water, salt and whey step for each quart jar
 Tuck in veggies with a large cabbage leaf
 Place Mason jar lid on, not too tightly
 Put in bowl (ferments are very active and the liquid escapes the jars)
 Set on counter or in cupboard, out of direct sunlight
 Test after 5 days
 When the veggies are fermented to you liking, remove large cabbage leaf, replace lid tightly and    store in refrigerator
 Enjoy!

* To make whey, place a container of full-fat yogurt (from 100% grass fed cows) in a cloth dish towel. Tie the four corners of the towel together and use a rubber band to attach to cabinet door handle with a bowl underneath. Let this drip into the bowl for a few hours or overnight. The liquid is your whey. The yogurt cheese left in the dish towel is yummy mixed with herbs and spread on crackers.

Benefits of fermented vegetables:
Gut and Health Benefits of Traditional Fermented Foods, Dr. David William
7 Health Benefits of Sauerkraut, Dr. Josh Axe
The Health Benefits of Fermented Foods, Sarah Ballantyne, PhD

Roasted Potatoes

Until the past few years, I had not roasted veggies. Once I realized that the recipe is basically the same for all veggies, I am roasting often!

What you need:

 6 Russet potatoes

 Ghee

 Salt and Pepper

 Equipment:

 Baking sheet

 Parchment paper

What you do:

 Preheat oven to 400º

 Line baking sheet with parchment paper

 Place large dollop of ghee onto parchment paper and place in oven while it is preheating

 Remember to remove before ghee burns

 Clean then chop potatoes into uniform pieces

 Put potatoes on parchment paper

 Add salt and pepper

 Use hands to toss and thoroughly coat potatoes 

 (Potatoes should not be stacked. They need room to roast.)

 Place in oven 

 At about 15 minutes, remover and use metal spatula to toss 

 Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes

 Enjoy! 

Bone Broth Updated

In our Traditional Foods Cooking Class, our wonderful instructor, Monica Corrado of Simply Being Well, taught us many traditional foods techniques. I love the bone broth method we were taught! A few more ingredients than my original bone broth recipe, but worth it!

What you need:
 Bones from 2 chicken
 Several chicken feet or backs or necks
 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
 1 organic onion (the skin can be left on)
 3 organic carrots
 3 organic celery stalks
 1 bunch parsley
 Filtered water

 Equipment:
 1 large stock pot
 Large sieve
 Another large pot

What you do:
 Place all chicken bones and parts in stock pot
 Add enough filtered water to cover bones
 Add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and let sit 30 minutes to 1 hour
 Clean and chop onion, carrot and celery into large chunks and add to pot
 Bring to boil
 Reduce heat to simmer (surface should be calm with bubbles rising)
 Skim any scum from top of surface
 Put lid on and allow to cook for 12 to 24 hours
 Add bunch of parsley for last 10 minutes
 Allow to cool
 Put large sieve over the other pot
 Pour broth though sieve

 I store my broth in quart size Mason jars. If I'm freezing some of the jars of broth, I add only 24 ounces to the quart jars (as I have had too many jars filled too full that break in the freezer).

This broth is amazing by itself, with added Celtic sea salt, in a big mug!
Enjoy!

Toothpaste

Simple to make! Easy to use! We've been using this toothpaste for years. We got this recipe from Matt & Betsy at DIY Natural. (By the way, they have a great website with great do-it-yourself ideas!)

What you need:

 2/3 cup Bob's baking soda (I get mine from Thrive)

 1 tsp. good quality sea salt

 Peppermint essential oil

 Pure water

What you do:

 In glass bowl, combine baking soda, salt and about 10-20 drops peppermint oil

 Add water little by little to desired consistency

 Store in glass jars (I use small Mason jars)

 To use, dip dampened toothbrush in toothpaste and brush teeth as usual
 Enjoy this simple, non-toxic toothpaste!

Tallow Lotion

I love this lotion! Though it's a bit greasier than conventional lotions, the benefits are many. Great information on tallow lotion can be found on The Weston A. Price website.

What you need:
 1  11 ounce jar of Epic Beef Tallow (from Thrive)
 1 to 2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
 Your choice of essential oils (I have used geranium with lavender and also lemon and orange)

 Equipment:
 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup
 Shallow pan

What you do:
 In a glass Pyrex 2 cup measuring cup, scoop out all of tallow
 Place in a pan filled with about 1 inch of water
 Heat on medium until tallow is melted
 Let tallow cool
 Add 1 to 2 ounces of olive oil and desired amount of essential oils
 Mix thoroughly (I use my electric hand mixer) and store in glass containers (an empty Organic Valley ghee jar is perfect)
 Place in refrigerator to harden a bit, but not too much
 Enjoy!

Caution: Be prepared for dogs to lick your legs. ;-) They love this stuff!

The BEST Deodorant

For about the last five years, we have been switching out our store bought personal care products for homemade, non-toxic ones. This deodorant was the first thing we made. It's easy to make...and it works!

What you need:

 3/4 cup coconut oil (for this, I use the TJs brand)

 1/2 cup Shea butter (from Thrive)

 1/2 cup arrowroot powder (from Thrive)

 1/2 cup baking soda (Bob's from Thrive)

What you do:

 Place a Pyrex glass measuring cup in a sauce pan containing about an inch of water

 Heat the coconut oil and the Shea butter in the measuring cup on medium heat until melted

 Remove from heat and place melted oil and Shea butter in bowl

 Add arrowroot powder and baking soda and stir to combine

 Place in 3 separate 4 ounce Mason jars 

 Cover and place in refrigerator to harden a bit, but not too much

 To use scoop out deodorant (about the size of a shelled peanut), rub together in hands

 and rub under arms

If you develop a rash under your arms, try cutting back on the amount of baking soda. We had problems with rashes more often when we were not using Shea butter. No problems since adding it!

Also, this deodorant melts in warm weather. We haven't noticed any change in its effectiveness. 

Seared Ahi Salad

Delicious! Simple! This salad makes a great dinner.

What you need:
 Wild caught Ahi tuna steak
 Salt
 Pepper
 Garlic powder
 Butter or ghee
 Arugula and mixed greens
 Cucumber, thinly sliced
 Avocado, diced
 Goat cheese, crumbled
 Zest and juice from one lemon
 Avocado oil to taste
 Sprouted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

What you do:
 Place big chunk of butter or ghee in pan, heated on medium high
 Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on one side of Ahi steak
 Place steak, seasoned side down in pan
 Cook for 3 minutes
 While cooking, sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on other side
 Flip steak and cook 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from heat
 Coarsely chop arugula and mixed greens and place in large bowl
 Add cucumber, avocado and goat cheese
 Zest lemon and add juice from one lemon to salad
 Drizzle avocado oil to taste
 Arrange salad on two plates
 Slice cooked Ahi and add to salad
 Top with sprouted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
 Enjoy!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

What you need:
 1 package organic Brussels sprouts (TJs)
 1/4 lb. bacon, sliced
 Ghee
 Garlic powder or finely chopped fresh garlic
 Celtic sea salt
 Pepper

What you do:
 Preheat oven to º400
 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
 While oven is preheating, spoon out a big blob of ghee onto baking sheet
 Place in oven to melt ghee
 Clean Brussels sprouts, slice off ends, and cut in half lengthwise
 Toss Brussels sprouts in melted ghee
 Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and toss some more
 Add sliced bacon
 Bake for 10 minutes, then toss
 Continue to bake until Brussels sprouts have browned, about 10 to 15 more minutes
 Enjoy!