Homemade Eggnog...

This recipe is a quick, easy way to make up a quick batch of eggnog. It seems to get better with age, so I would make it a week before you plan to drink it, if you have the self-control to wait that long!! I also used raw eggs in this recipe. I bought my eggs fresh from my local organic egg farmer and washed each egg off before use. I know there is always a small risk in using raw eggs, but I have been eating eggs raw for the past few years with no problems...

6 organic eggs (preferably fresh from a local farmer)

1 cup rapadura or sucanat

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 cups organic milk

2 cups organic cream

3/4 cup brandy

1/3 cup rum

Beat the eggs until fluffy, then add the sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. Stir in the remaining ingredients and store in the fridge.

Enjoy with some warm Christmas cookies and a good movie!! Cheers!

Cranberry Relish...

Cranberries are SO healthy! Go here to see some of the many benefits. This recipe makes a big batch, but I promise it won't last long! (I used all organic ingredients in my recipe.)

*seven 8 ounce containers of fresh cranberries

*5 large oranges

*1 cup raw honey

*2/3 cup rapadura

*5 cups raw walnuts

*2 tsp cinnamon

*1 tsp allspice

In batches, roughly mix the cranberries, oranges, walnuts, and spices in a food processor. Pulse a few seconds at a time so that the mix is more chopped than pureed. Place in a large bowl and stir in the honey and rapadura. For those who want it a little less sweet, use 1/2 cup of honey and 1/3 cup rapadura or no rapadura at all. I add rapadura to mine because it adds a deep, rich flavor to the relish. Enjoy!!

Olives...

Last night my very sweet husband helped me put up my first batch of olives. I'm trying the water brining method, which will take a few weeks, and then in Nov. will order some black olives and try the salt brining method, which takes 9 months, but creates a fermented food. Once the olives soak in the water for about 2 weeks, then I have some large glass jars that I will use to do the finishing salt brine with whatever seasoning we choose. Very curious to see how these come out...if they are good, I think a new fall tradition has started.

Eggplant Puree with Walnuts...

This is a great immune building recipe with the raw garlic, especially for this time of year with cold and flu season fast approaching!

*2 large eggplants

*2-4 garlic cloves

*1/2 cup walnuts

*1/2 cup olive oil

*2 T fresh lemon juice

*1-2 T red wine vinegar (I used balsalmic)

*salt to taste

Preheat over to 450 degrees and wash the eggplants and pat dry; prick skin in several places with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning, until skin is blistered and shriveled.

While eggplants are roasting, pulse in a food processor the garlic, walnuts, and 2 T of olive oil to form a paste.

Cut off stems of eggplant once they have cooled some, and scoop out insides, discarding as many seeds as possible and place in food processor. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pulse until well combined. The dip does not have to be smooth.

The Complete Italian Vegetarian...

I love this cookbook - not a lot of pictures, but lots of great ideas and I really like the fact that I can just thumb through it and know that none of the recipes will contain meat. I made pasta with Olivada yesterday. I used this recipe and just used half of it with a pound of pasta and 4 large tomatoes chopped in small pieces, with a dash of olive oil. So yummy!

Olivada

2 medium garlic cloves

8 large fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 cups drained black olives (about 7 oz), pitted

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

Throw all this together in a food processor and pulse until fine. This can be stored for several days, and to prolong store life, pour a thin film of olive oil over it.

I also made a yummy salad by roughly chopping up tomatoes and cucumbers, adding some feta cheeses and sunflower seeds and dressing it with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and dried basil.

I used an old loaf of sourdough bread that I had frozen and cut it up and buttered it, adding garlic powder and dried basil...then stuck it under the broiler.

A quick, easy, yummy summertime meal!

Raw Beets...

So, I learned in my Family Herbalist course just how good beets are for you, especially all you pregnant mommas! Beets are a great preventative against anemia. I took my iron (and am still taking it) supplement in a form derived from beets by Dr. Marshall. I had no problems with anemia my whole pregnancy.

We have been getting a lot of beets in our co-op. Roasted beets with other root vegies are great, but gets old after a while. Beets are also best consumed raw, so I have started to shred beets, carrots, and zucchini onto our salads. It's more appealing for me than large pieces of beet and it sure looks pretty with all that color!

Soaked Pasta...

Fermenting dough...
My beautiful Marcato Atlas 150 pasta maker. I bought it here, it's $20 cheaper than on Amazon and includes no shipping cost or tax. It's a little bit of an upfront investment, but will quickly make up it's cost. I don't think I can ever go back to store bought pasta after making my own! If making the pasta seems like a daunting task, just double or triple my pasta recipe and put the pasta in the freezer for later use.
Dough prepped to go through the cutter...
The finished product!

My sister, Christy, inspired me to get a pasta maker. I have been wanting to find a good solution to buying store bought pasta, and have experimented with my own soaked pasta recipe. Here is what I did (feeds 4 with no leftovers):

3 1/2 cups of freshly ground kamut flour

1 cup minus 1 T filtered water

3 T whey

Place the above ingredients in a glass dish, mixing well. Let it sit overnight (I always stick mine in the oven. You can also place a damp towel over the top to help prevent excessive drying.). When you are ready to make the pasta, add one egg to the dough and knead in thoroughly.

I found that this recipe made my dough too wet...next time I will try just 2/3 cup of water. I found that by kneading in enough flour so the dough did not stick to my hands allowed it to run through the machine, but I had to keep it on the thickest setting (setting one).

Even though it was not the ideal dough, it came out delicious! Kamut flour is my favorite flour to work with. It has a lower gluten content than wheat, but higher protein. It makes it a perfect flour for pasta, pancakes, and biscuits.

Sourdough Bread...

Rye ciabatta...
Beet and feta bread...
Basic spelt loaf...

I can highly recommend the cookbook Wild Sourdough, especially for busy moms. The way these recipes are laid out is perfect for moms with little ones and busy schedules. You never spend more than 5-10 minutes per step. I am personally using a rye starter and spelt starter (I created this one off of my rye starter). We love this bread so much that I make it 2-3 times a week. So yummy!