Showing posts with label Ferments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ferments. Show all posts

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!

Monday, June 18, 2018

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 healthy version!


From Tastes Lovely.

What you need:
  1/2 cup avocado oil
 1/2 cup EVOO    
 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
 Keeps in fridge for up to 4 weeks

To ferment, I add 2 tablespoons whey or sauerkraut juice to the recipe and let sit on the counter for up to 6 hours (not longer because of the raw egg), then transfer to refrigerator.




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!



Thursday, May 19, 2016

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

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Kombucha



What you need:
 Gallon glass jars (each gallon jar can hold enough to make 5 ½ 16 oz. bottles every 14 days): Crate and Barrel, Target, Walmart
 Large stock pot (to brew tea)
 Thin dish towels to cover each gallon jar
 Quart sized Mason jars with lids (I use plastic lids): Target, Walmart
 Organic black tea: iHerb
 Organic sugar: Trader Joe’s
 SCOBY: a dear friend  ;-)
 Organic frozen fruit: Trader Joe’s
 Bottles for the final Kombucha (I have saved the 16 oz. store bought Kombucha bottles)

What you do:
 Bring 3 quarts of filtered water to a boil
 Dissolve ¾ cup sugar in water
 Add 6 tea bags
 Let sweet tea come to room temperature
 Remove tea bags and pour tea into gallon glass jar
 Add SCOBY and about 1/2 to 1 cup previously made Kombucha
 Cover with dish towel and secure with rubber band
 Place jar in dark place (Mine goes in my pantry)
 Test for desired sweetness/vinegary-ness after 5 days (Mine is usually ready in 5 to 9 days in warm months and 11 days during cooler weather)
 With very clean hands, remove baby SCOBY and mother SCOBY, and place in small glass jar with 1/2 to 1 cup just-brewed Kombucha, then put lid on (One SCOBY and half the liquid will be used in next batch, one SCOBY and other half of liquid can be given away)
 Pour Kombucha in 3 quart sized Mason jars (for secondary fermentation)
 Add a layer of frozen raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, pineapple, fresh passion fruit, watermelon, a chunk of banana (experiment to see what you like), and screw on lid
 Let sit for another 3 days
 Use strainer and funnel to pour the finished Kombucha into jars
 Store in refrigerator (or Kombucha will continue to ferment)
 Enjoy!


Informative Blog Post on Kombucha:

Disclaimer:
 As there is controversy as to the safety and health benefits of consuming Kombucha, please do your own research before brewing and drinking.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Ketchup

One challenge when transitioning to a real foods way of eating is finding condiments that are nourishing to our bodies. Most conventional condiments contain refined sugars and some corn or soy (probably genetically modified if not organic). I started by making ketchup and found that it is easy!


What you need:
 14 ounces tomato paste
 3 Tbs. raw honey
 2 1/2 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar
 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt
 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
 1/4 tsp. ground garlic
 1/8 tsp. cayenne
 1/4 cup whey (if fermenting)

What you do:
 Whisk all ingredients (except whey) together
 Place in pint mason jar and store in refrigerator
 Enjoy!
 If fermenting, add whey with other ingredients, seal and allow to sit 2 to 5 days
 Store in refrigerator for up to several months, if fermented
 Enjoy!


Why ditch refined sugar?
141 Reasons Sugar Ruins Your Health, by Nancy Appleton, PhD
The Harmful Effects of Sugar on Body and Mind
Zapping Sugar Cravings, by Jen Allbritton, CN