Fermented Vegies...

I want to keep track of the different combos of vegies I am doing for fermenting. I just finished a batch of onion, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, and garlic. I let it sit in my mini fridge for 11 days with an average temp around 60 degrees. Seems to have come out delicious. I'll have Dave taste it tonight as well.
Can't wait to try my fermented squash and apples next!

Our New Favorite Soup

This recipe is largely taken from the Le Virtu recipe in Italian Slow and Savory by Joyce Goldstein--which, Mom & Jess, you both have. I just added in the miniature meatballs from another soup recipe of hers and some greens. This soup was so flavorful and very hearty! It was by far the tastiest soup I have ever made.

Le Virtu (with a few changes)

2 to 2 1/2 cups assorted dried beans such as chickpeas, cannellini, borlotti, and lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta or prosciutto (I used salami)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T chopped, fresh of each: sage, marjoram, mint, thyme
1 1/2 cups diced canned plum tomatoes (I just used a whole can)
2 cups swiss chard, finely chopped
2 quarts water or chicken stock (use homemade!)
salt & pepper
3/4 cup farro (I used a tiny pastini, barley would work too)
extra virgin olive oil, grated parmesan, crumbled gorganzola for serving

Soak all beans (except lentils) overnight, then drain.

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute, stirring often, until the fat is released, about 5 min. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and all the chopped herbs and saute, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 min. Add the drained beans, the dried lentils, tomatoes, stock, 2 t of salt, and raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Season to taste w/ salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, make the miniature meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3 T grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Start forming miniature meatballs, about the size of a hazelnut (1/2 inch diameter). This recipe should make about 140 meatballs, but don't be alarmed--it goes really fast because they are so tiny. I made them in less than 10 minutes. Lay them out on a plate as you form them.

When the beans have 20 minutes cooking time remaining, add the meatballs, sprinkling them in one at a time (to prevent clumping). Let meatballs simmer for about 20 min to cook through.

When there are 10 minutes of cooking time left, add the pastini and let simmer for the final 10 minutes. (If you're using farro or barley, obviously add them at the appropriate time depending on how long they need to cook.)

To serve, ladle into bowls, add a thin drizzle of olive oil on top and sprinkle with parmesan and crumbled gorgonzola.

Coconut Fish and Rice

Here is a recipe I pieced together from a few recipes I found. I fixed this for Braden and myself on a warm and rainy spring day. Being a nice hot dish, it hit the spot on such a rainy day, but it was also still a nice light dish suitable for the warmer weather.

COCONUT FISH & RICE (serves 4)

1 lb white fish fillets of choice
1 can coconut milk
1 lime, plus the zest
1/4 cup coconut (unsweetened)
1 clove garlic, minced
fresh lemon thyme (or thyme or basil)
ginger
cayenne pepper
salt
1 1/2 cups rice

Preheat oven to 350.

Bring 1/2 can of coconut milk and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil and cook rice as usual.

Tear off 4 squares of foil and lay out on the counter. Divide the fish into 4 portions and lay on foil. Sprinkle fish with lime zest, minced garlic, coconut, ginger, cayenne pepper and salt. Drizzle the rest of the coconut milk over each portion of fish. Lay 2 sprigs of lemon thyme over each fish.

Fold each piece of foil up and seal well. Place foil pockets in a pyrex dish and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

When rice is done cooking, squeeze the juice of the lime into it and toss.

To serve, spoon rice into a soup or pasta bowl, open foil pocket and slide fish onto the rice. Steamed green beans and carrots make a nice accompaniment.

Hamburger Buns

Here's the hamburger bun recipe I've been talking about. I'll write the recipe as I have it written (adapted from a recipe I found somewhere online). At the end I'll explain how I now make it using my sourdough starter.

1 cup water
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil (I use olive)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast
4 cups flour (my suggested breakdown is: 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat, 1/2 cup brown rice (it makes them softer), and 1 cup of any or a combo of the following--regular whole wheat, millet, spelt, kamut, rye)


1 egg
1 tbsp water
sesame seeds

Mix yeast, water, sugar and let bubble. Mix salt and flour--add yeast mixture and eggs. Add extra flour or water as needed to make a nicely textured dough. Let dough rise. Punch down. Shape into 12 balls--DON'T press them flat. (For the size of balls, they are going to just about double, so make them the size you want based on that.) Let balls rise until about doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350. While you're waiting for it to preheat, mix 1 egg w/ 1 tbsp water. Brush on the tops of each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Adjustments for making these with sourdough starter:
Pour your starter in a bowl and add the 2 cups water and 3-4 cups of flour--your mixture should be like a thick batter. Mix and let sit overnight or until the starter is bubbly and frothy. Reserve a cup of starter for yourself to return to your fridge. Put the frothy starter in the kitchen aid and add eggs, oil, salt, sugar, and enough flour to make a nicely textured dough. Let rise until doubled. Punch down. Shape into balls and continue the recipe as above.

Chicken Soup

No picture, but a great recipe. I adapted it from something I saw. It's a chicken soup recipe with a bit of a Thai twist to it.

2 quarts chicken broth (homemade stock really does add a lot of flavor)
2 cups water
3-4 cups cooked shredded/chunks of chicken (I used leftovers from a roast)
1 small cabbage head, shredded or very thinly sliced
6 carrots, sliced thin
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp curry
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp thyme
1 T sugar
dash of cayenne powder
salt & pepper

Put water, broth, chicken, carrots, and cabbage in a pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer about 20 min or until carrots are tender. Stir in coconut milk and spices and let simmer 5 more minutes. Delicious!

More of my favorite raw stuff....

Here is a great substitute for cooked oatmeal, using soaked oat groats (also known as steel cut oats). It's so good that Dad wants Mom to start using this as their regular oatmeal. It's from the book Raw Food Made Easy.

Whole Oatmeal (Makes 2 srvgs)

2 c. soaked oat groats
1/2 apple, peeled and chopped (I used unpeeled pear one time and actually liked it better)
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup or raw agave ( I use agave)
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. almond milk
2 Tbsp. raisins

Combine all ingredients, except the milk and raisins, in food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend well. Stop occasionally to scrape down sides with a spatula. Serve immediately with the milk and raisins. Oatmeal will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Soaked Oat Groats (makes 2 cups)

1 1/2 c. oat groats

Place the groats in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8-12 hrs. at room temperature. Drain in a colander and rinse well. Place the groats back in the bowl and cover with fresh water. Soak for another 8-12 hrs. Drain and let air-dry in colander for 30 mins. Stored in a sealed container in the fridge, the groats will keep for 3 days.

Almond milk

2 1/2c. spring water
1 1/2 c. soaked almonds (cover almonds with water in a mason jar and soak for 8 hrs)
3 pitted medjool dates
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place water, almonds, and dates in vitamix or blender. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Strain through cheese cloth or fine-mesh strainer. (Save the pulp for other recipes, or through it into your cereal or oatmeal.) Return liquid to the vitamix and add the salt and vanilla. Mix well til smooth. Stored in a sealed jar in the fridge, it will keep for 5 days. Make sure to shake well before serving!

My Yummy Slaw

I'm finally posting!! :) Here is my first recipe.....one of my first creations since going raw.

Carrot-Apple Slaw

4 large carrots
2 apples
1/2 cucumber (optional)
1/2 c. raisins
1/3 c. pine nuts
Juice of one lemon (fresh-squeezed)
1 Tbsp. raw agave sweetner (optional)
salt
pepper
ginger
curry

Set up the food processor with the grater. Shred the carrots and apples. Dice up the cucumber. Combine carrots, apples, cucumber in mixing bowl. Add raisins and pine nuts. Stir to mix. Add lemon juice, agave (or raw honey, gently melted), and seasonings to taste. Mix well. Enjoy!

stromboli!

I made stromboli last Sunday for lunch. It was so good! I took pizza dough, rolled it out thin, and sprinkled it with salami, frozen spinach, kalmata olives, cheese, fresh garlic and pepper.

I rolled it up and sliced it in a few places (the fork didn't really work). I put it in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Here it is, fresh out of the oven with cheese bubbling out of the slices. We put tomato sauce over top. So yummy!