Note: This post assumes the reader has experience making bread. For detailed directions on water temperature, dough consistency, etc...just search Google and find a tutorial. :) Happy breadmaking!
Ingredients:
1 c. Natural Yeast (this is NOT the dried commercial yeast flakes...this is a living, cultured yeast. For more information, read Melissa Richardson aka the Bread Geek's books and website)
4 c. Warm Water
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
7-8+ c. Whole Wheat Flour
Directions:
Place Natural Yeast in mixing bowl (I like to use my Bosch mixer with the bread hook, you can do this by hand). Add warm water to mixing bowl. Add Sea Salt and mix (important to not put salt in before water, salt breaks down natural yeast when it's poured directly on it). Mix. Add 5 cups flour. Mix until combined. Continue to add flour until dough reaches desired consistency. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until reaches desired consistency. Place dough in large covered stockpot, place in warm area to raise and sour for 6-12 hours. Feed Natural Yeast (every time you use it, feed it).
After dough is finished raising and souring, form into loaves (or rolls, breadsticks, etc), and place into lightly greased pans (we love to use coconut oil for this). Cover with tea towel and let rise for 1-3 hours (until doubled in size). Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Wendy's Honey-Sweetened GF, Grain-Free, Cheesecake
Wendy's AMAZING, PHENOMENAL, DELICIOUS Cheesecake
(GF, Grain-Free, Honey-Sweetened)
I adore my friend Wendy. She loves to cook for people, understands dietary restrictions, and brings joy everywhere she goes. Everyone needs a friend like Wendy. My hubby was extremely supportive of our dietary changes, but he confided to me after two years that he missed cheesecake. My dear friend Wendy asked what she could bring for his birthday, and I joked that she could bring cheesecake. Bless her soul, she DID!! And a new addiction began. :) Here is that delectable recipe. My hubby prefers to make it without the crust (almonds are expensive, and he really just loves the cheesecake sans crust). But I do love this crust...with Honey-Sweetened Chocolate Pie, too. Happy baking!(Optional) Crust Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
4 Tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Pour all ingredients into blender and pulse until mixed.
Crust baking instructions:
Press into greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Let cool.
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
4 packages cream cheese
2/3 c. honey
Cheesecake Filling Instructions:
Pour over crust (or skip the crust and pour directly into pan). Prepare water bath in your oven by placing rimmed cookie sheet (jelly-roll style pan) in the oven on the middle rack, place your cheesecake pan in the center of the cookie sheet, then fill the cookie sheet with water, almost to the rim. This will make your cheesecake fluffy. If you skip the water bath, the cheesecake is more like a dense brownie texture. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes. Check at the 60 minute mark, then every 5-10 minutes after. Toothpick inserted into the middle of the cheesecake will come out clean.
Winter Squash and Root Veggies (Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti Squash, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes)
So I love winter season and its plethora of inexpensive root vegetables and winter squash varieties. Full of nutrition and fiber that keeps tummies full, I often get a bit overzealous when they're on sale, or sometimes get a bunch harvested before the squash bugs claim my garden plants. This year we harvested 403 pounds of potatoes from our garden, and you can bet I want to use them all. So now I've got a race against the clock to use or store the squash and potatoes before they begin to get yucky. But it's also one of the busiest (and funnest) seasons of the year, so I'd rather be baking pies and cookies than prepping squash. The honest issue is that I get lazy and forget to prepare them squash in time, and so we miss using these delicious and inexpensive foods for meals. So I've been searching for easy and convenient methods to cook them (like crock pot and microwave), or simple ways to freeze them to use later. Happy harvest cooking!
Freezer: Rinse outside of squash to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the squash. Cut in half, remove seeds, cut the flesh of the squash into 1-inch cubes. Label bag with contents, date, and measurement. Place cubes into freezer bags and place in the freezer (pre-measure so that you have the right amount for your recipes). To make roasted butternut squash from frozen: When ready to use, preheat oven to 425, remove cubed squash from the freezer bag and place on roasting pan. Add minced garlic, quartered onions, cubed sweet potatoes, and cubed carrots. Drizzle with melted butter or coconut oil, roast for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy. You can make a delicious soup base by blending this mixture and adding some meat stock, plus some herbs and more veggies and meat. There is an excellent soup recipe with measurements in Danielle Walker's "Against All Grain" cookbook on page 86.
Acorn Squash
coming :)
Microwave: Wash outside of potato/sweet potato to remove any dirt. Puncture potato skin with a fork or knife, make at least 10 holes. This allows steam to release and keeps the potato from exploding in your microwave. Cook on high for 1-4 minutes at a time (start with 4 minutes for medium to large potatoes). Test for doneness by squeezing the potato. When it is done, it will yield easily to a squeeze from your fingers, without any hard spots. When done, cut open and enjoy (it will be the texture of a baked potato). You can serve with sweet or savory toppings. We love mashed sweet potatoes with butter, honey and a little cinnamon.
Sweet Potato Freezer:
Cube Method: Rinse outside of sweet potato to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the sweet potato. Cut sweet potato into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes into freezer bags and place in the freezer (pre-measure so that you have the right amount for your recipes).
To make roasted sweet potatoes from frozen: When ready to use, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove cubed sweet potato from the freezer bag and place on roasting pan.
For savory recipe, add minced garlic, quartered onions, (optional: other veggies such as cubed potatoes, winter squash or cubed carrots). Drizzle with melted butter or coconut oil, roast for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.
For sweet recipe, place frozen sweet potatoes in a casserole dish, drizzle with melted butter or coconut oil, roast for 20 minutes, or until tender. Smash roasted sweet potatoes. Drizzle with more butter, plus honey and/or coconut sugar and a dash of salt. Bake in the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until everything is melty goodness. If desired, top with homemade honey marshmallows. Serve and enjoy.
Potato or Sweet Potato Fries Method:
Rinse outside of sweet potato to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the sweet potato. Cut sweet potato into french fries (tip: you can do thin ones, but too thin will get black and overcrisp very fast). Label bags with date, contents. Place fries into freezer bags, add enough olive oil to coat to prevent freezer burn. Add seasoning (we like sea salt or Red Robin Seasoning). Seal bags and place in freezer.
To make sweet potato fries from frozen: When ready to use, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove sweet potato fries from the freezer bag and place on roasting pan. Bake until fries can be spread evenly on pan, then spread them so they cook evenly (about 10 minutes). Add more seasoning if desired, bake until cooked through and desired crispiness. Enjoy.
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes:
Fill crock pot about halfway with water. Add a dash of salt to the water. Rinse potatoes to remove any dirt. Peel potatoes if desired (we like skins in our mashed potatoes, and it's faster). Cut potatoes into quarters (if they are huge potatoes, cut into about 2-inch cubes). Place cut potatoes into crock pot water. Water should cover potatoes. Add or remove water as needed (if it's overflowing, remove some water). Cover crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are soft, easily pierced with a fork. Turn off crock pot. Drain potato water (save it if you plan to make soup or potato bread or spudnuts...I'll be posting a recipe soon!). Place cooked potatoes into a Bosch mixer or large mixing bowl. Mix for a few seconds, until pieces start to smash. Add milk, butter, cream, yogurt, salt...whatever you love in your mashed potatoes. Mix until desired consistency (be careful not to overmix, it makes the potatoes get a weird texture). Serve.
This can be prepped the night before (like when we have early church and want a yummy meal when we get home). Just prep the potatoes, soak them in the water in the crock pot stone liner, refrigerate until ready to cook, then place the stone insert into the electric base and turn it on.
Butternut Squash
Crock Pot: Rinse outside of squash to remove any dirt. Cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds (these can be soaked and roasted if they are big enough). Place halves in crockpot, skins down or touching the sides (if they are sideways, they will leak some juices onto the crockpot, its a bit messy but doesn't hurt anything). Cook on low 5-6 hours, or until squash is tender.Freezer: Rinse outside of squash to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the squash. Cut in half, remove seeds, cut the flesh of the squash into 1-inch cubes. Label bag with contents, date, and measurement. Place cubes into freezer bags and place in the freezer (pre-measure so that you have the right amount for your recipes). To make roasted butternut squash from frozen: When ready to use, preheat oven to 425, remove cubed squash from the freezer bag and place on roasting pan. Add minced garlic, quartered onions, cubed sweet potatoes, and cubed carrots. Drizzle with melted butter or coconut oil, roast for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy. You can make a delicious soup base by blending this mixture and adding some meat stock, plus some herbs and more veggies and meat. There is an excellent soup recipe with measurements in Danielle Walker's "Against All Grain" cookbook on page 86.
Acorn Squash
coming :)
Spaghetti Squash
Microwave: Rinse outside of squash to remove any dirt. Puncture squash skin with a fork or knife, make at least 10 holes. Place squash on a microwavable plate and place in the microwave. Cook on high for 8 minutes. Squash should yield to pressure when you press on it with your hand. When outside is soft, remove from microwave and cut open (be careful--inside is full of steam). Remove seeds, scrape spaghetti squash out of skin. Discard skin and seeds (or feed them to your chickens). Serve with spaghetti sauce, alfredo, pesto, or your favorite sauce. Or slather with butter and cinnamon and coconut sugar for a fun (and unusual) sweet treat.Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes
Just FYI, baked and pureed sweet potatoes freeze and reheat very well. Some homemade mashed potatoes do well, too. It depends on how much butter/cream, etc are added. Mashed potatoes reheat better if they will be slathered in gravy or sauce (or used in soup). That's my favorite way, anyhow :)
Sweet Potato Freezer:
Cube Method: Rinse outside of sweet potato to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the sweet potato. Cut sweet potato into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes into freezer bags and place in the freezer (pre-measure so that you have the right amount for your recipes).
To make roasted sweet potatoes from frozen: When ready to use, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove cubed sweet potato from the freezer bag and place on roasting pan.
For savory recipe, add minced garlic, quartered onions, (optional: other veggies such as cubed potatoes, winter squash or cubed carrots). Drizzle with melted butter or coconut oil, roast for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.
For sweet recipe, place frozen sweet potatoes in a casserole dish, drizzle with melted butter or coconut oil, roast for 20 minutes, or until tender. Smash roasted sweet potatoes. Drizzle with more butter, plus honey and/or coconut sugar and a dash of salt. Bake in the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until everything is melty goodness. If desired, top with homemade honey marshmallows. Serve and enjoy.
Potato or Sweet Potato Fries Method:
Rinse outside of sweet potato to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the sweet potato. Cut sweet potato into french fries (tip: you can do thin ones, but too thin will get black and overcrisp very fast). Label bags with date, contents. Place fries into freezer bags, add enough olive oil to coat to prevent freezer burn. Add seasoning (we like sea salt or Red Robin Seasoning). Seal bags and place in freezer.
To make sweet potato fries from frozen: When ready to use, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove sweet potato fries from the freezer bag and place on roasting pan. Bake until fries can be spread evenly on pan, then spread them so they cook evenly (about 10 minutes). Add more seasoning if desired, bake until cooked through and desired crispiness. Enjoy.
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes:
Fill crock pot about halfway with water. Add a dash of salt to the water. Rinse potatoes to remove any dirt. Peel potatoes if desired (we like skins in our mashed potatoes, and it's faster). Cut potatoes into quarters (if they are huge potatoes, cut into about 2-inch cubes). Place cut potatoes into crock pot water. Water should cover potatoes. Add or remove water as needed (if it's overflowing, remove some water). Cover crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are soft, easily pierced with a fork. Turn off crock pot. Drain potato water (save it if you plan to make soup or potato bread or spudnuts...I'll be posting a recipe soon!). Place cooked potatoes into a Bosch mixer or large mixing bowl. Mix for a few seconds, until pieces start to smash. Add milk, butter, cream, yogurt, salt...whatever you love in your mashed potatoes. Mix until desired consistency (be careful not to overmix, it makes the potatoes get a weird texture). Serve.
This can be prepped the night before (like when we have early church and want a yummy meal when we get home). Just prep the potatoes, soak them in the water in the crock pot stone liner, refrigerate until ready to cook, then place the stone insert into the electric base and turn it on.
Hashbrowns: COMING SOON!
Best Sweet Potatoes EVER!!
3 huge sweet
potatoes
¼ c Ghee and
dash of salt (or salted butter)
¼ to ½ cup Honey
Cut ends off
sweet potatoes and prick skins all over with a fork. Place sweet potatoes in a baking dish and
bake at 425 for 60 minutes. Remove from oven
and cool. When cool, peel the skins off
of the sweet potatoes. Mash peeled sweet
potatoes in baking dish. Add butter/ghee
and honey to the mashed sweet potatoes and stir. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 350
degrees until bubbly and heated through.
Stir and serve.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Whole Food Honey-Sweetened Chocolate Goodness
Chocolate is tricky when you're eating no processed sugars. I was a really good girl when I was following the GAPS diet. I thought that meant deprivation. So I did not partake of chocolate for more than a year, since I couldn't find any that tasted good and used whole food ingredients. My amazing friend Angelica Orr helped me see that life can be both delicious and healthy. She brought me this amazing hot fudge, as well as the PB chocolate cups, and I was inspired. We found hot chocolate (and the cake that's on another post) with the help of my dear friend Nicole R, who adapted her daughter's birthday party treats to accommodate my little girls (I love you Nicole!). The ice cream recipe was inspired by three I found online (after we had a lot of raw milk and needed help using it for a while). Thanks ladies! Happy healthy chocolate eating. :)
1/3 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. raw honey
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. milk or almond milk
1/4 tsp. sea salt
In a small sauce pan, heat ingredients on medium-low until everything is melted together, whisking constantly. Store leftovers in fridge.
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-hot-cocoa-chocolate-mix/
Whole Food Hot Fudge
THANK YOU Angelica Orr!1/3 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. raw honey
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. milk or almond milk
1/4 tsp. sea salt
In a small sauce pan, heat ingredients on medium-low until everything is melted together, whisking constantly. Store leftovers in fridge.
Honey Chocolate Ice Cream
1 c. honey
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. butter
1 pinch sea salt
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. cream (raw milk cream is perfect)
2 2/3 c. whole milk (raw milk is divine)
Combine honey and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan; stir to incorporate
Add the butter, burn the heat to low on the pan, continually stir to combine
Turn off the heat once most of the butter has melted and continue stirring until the butter is fully incorporated.
Add the cream a little at a time, stirring after each addition, to fully incorporate the chocolate sauce
Add the milk, stir to combine. Add salt and vanilla.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours
Follow instructions on your ice cream maker.
Honey Sweetened Hot Chocolate
Adapted from "Recipes to Nourish"
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. raw honey
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
In a sauce pan, heat milk on medium low heat until warmed through
In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, honey and extract until you make a sauce (like for the chocolate ice cream)
Stir the syrup into the warmed milk and enjoy.
Makes 1 serving
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
Just 3 ingredients! You can make this ahead and just add warm milk when you are ready) SO DELICIOUS!http://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-hot-cocoa-chocolate-mix/
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups
THANK YOU Angelica Orr!
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. natural peanut or almond butter
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. raw honey
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Heat all ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat just until melted together. Use mini muffin pans and paper liners, fill cups 3/4 full. Makes 24. Store in the fridge.
Incredible Whole-Food Chocolate CAKE!
Since we began our whole food journey two years ago, I've been looking for a really good cake recipe. Each birthday celebration would come and go with sad imitations, and my children were very good-natured about it. But coconut flour recipes I'd used in the past never really got the texture right. I consigned myself to this new texture, and moved on. Until...my friend Nicole invited us over for a birthday party and served this delightful cake. I was in love. My birthday is coming, so I thought I'd post it in celebration. My 12 year old is now in charge of cake-making, and I love that he can! This recipe is based on this post: http://paleospirit.com/2012/paleo-chocolate-birthday-cake-coconut-honey-frosting/
We love to use raw milk and cream in our recipes, and I don't drink coffee, and we prefer honey...so I modified some things. Here it is!
Amazing Chocolate Cake (Grain-Free/GF, honey-sweetened with DF option)
(makes two 9-inch cakes)
1 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. sea salt
9 eggs
3/4 c. coconut oil/butter/ghee, melted (plus some for greasing pans)
1 c. honey
3/4 c. raw milk (or water for DF)
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
parchment paper (to line cake pans)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease cake pans and line with parchment paper
Sift coconut flour into small mixing bowl
Add cocoa, baking soda and salt to coconut flour and mix until combined
Put your whisk attachment on your Bosch/KitchenAid
Whisk the eggs in your mixer
Add the melted oil (or butter/ghee), honey, milk (or water) and vanilla to the eggs
Continue to mix until combined
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
Mix on low until completely combined
Scrape the batter into the two cake pans
Spread out the batter so it is relatively smooth
Bake for 30 minutes, inserted toothpick will come out clean when baked through
Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes
Loosen the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.
Frost and enjoy!!
We love to use raw milk and cream in our recipes, and I don't drink coffee, and we prefer honey...so I modified some things. Here it is!
Amazing Chocolate Cake (Grain-Free/GF, honey-sweetened with DF option)
(makes two 9-inch cakes)
1 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. sea salt
9 eggs
3/4 c. coconut oil/butter/ghee, melted (plus some for greasing pans)
1 c. honey
3/4 c. raw milk (or water for DF)
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
parchment paper (to line cake pans)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease cake pans and line with parchment paper
Sift coconut flour into small mixing bowl
Add cocoa, baking soda and salt to coconut flour and mix until combined
Put your whisk attachment on your Bosch/KitchenAid
Whisk the eggs in your mixer
Add the melted oil (or butter/ghee), honey, milk (or water) and vanilla to the eggs
Continue to mix until combined
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
Mix on low until completely combined
Scrape the batter into the two cake pans
Spread out the batter so it is relatively smooth
Bake for 30 minutes, inserted toothpick will come out clean when baked through
Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes
Loosen the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.
Frost and enjoy!!
Gluten Free Crust (not grain free)
GF Pie Crust
There are lots of great tutorials online about making pie crusts, so if you need help, find a good one on YouTube. This is just the ingredients and basic instructions.
Ingredients:
1 & 1/4 cups Namaste GF Organic Perfect Flour Blend (or your fave GF flour)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup butter
1/4 ice water
Combine flour and sea salt in a medium bowl.
"Cut-in" butter with forks or whisk. Keep cutting until butter is pea-sized.
Add water 1-2 tablespoons at at time. Use your fingers to get the flour wet (gently). You're not mixing! Mix gently until it's all evenly mixed. You want to make the dough barely wet enough to form into a ball.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface, until about 1/8 inch thick. Gently lift your crust onto your pie plate and follow pie directions (if you need to precook the pie crust, go for it).
Fill with yummy pie filling and enjoy!!
More GF, Honey-Sweetened Yummy Pies!!
It's Thanksgiving time, which means yummy pies on the table. We struggled our first two years eating GAPS to find dessert recipes that we could eat. It was a depressing first Thanksgiving. Then my amazing friend Erica Miller shared her pies with us, and was kind enough to share her recipes. She created a GF/DF/Honey-Sweetened Cream Pie recipe that is versatile and tasty. We can now eat some grains, and we eat raw dairy, so we have modified the recipe a bit. You will see our notes in parentheses.
(Gluten-Free, Grain-Free
THANKS ERICA MILLER!!
Crust
2 cups blanched almond flour
2 Tbsp. coconut flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil (or butter), melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Filling
2 Tbsp. water
2 & 3/4 tsp. unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)
2 & 1/2 cups coconut milk (we use raw milk)
3/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
4 egg yolks
1 & 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
For crust, combine ingredients and press into a 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes at 350. Erica found that the crust was really thick, she doubled the recipe and made 3 crusts with it).
For the filling, in a small bowl shake the gelatin over the 2 Tbsp of water and set aside.
In a medium saucepan heat coconut milk (or raw whole milk) and cocoa powder. Combine egg yolks, honey and salt in a separate bowl. Temper the eggs by adding half of the heated coconut milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously.
Return mixture to the saucepan and cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not allow to boil (eggs will curdle and get chunky--but it is still salvagable).
Whisk in the gelatin and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to ensure the gelatin is dissolved completely. Mixture is just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add vanilla. Pour the mixture through a mesh sieve (to catch any bits that curdled or didn't dissolve well) into the pie pan (we have skipped this step before when we know we didn't curdle the mixture). Let stand at room temperature until cool then refrigerate.
Variations:
Chocolate Mint...add 10 drops peppermint essential oil to the crust mix. Add 5 drops to the filling at the same time you add vanilla.
Banana Cream...omit the cocoa powder from the crust and decrease oil to 2 Tablespoons. Omit the cocoa powder from the filling and decrease honey to 1/2 cup. Cut some banana pieces into the pie crust before pouring the filling. Top with more banana slices just before serving.
Honey Sweetened Chocolate Cream Pie
(Gluten-Free, Grain-Free + Dairy-Free option)
THANKS ERICA MILLER!!Crust
2 cups blanched almond flour
2 Tbsp. coconut flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil (or butter), melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Filling
2 Tbsp. water
2 & 3/4 tsp. unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)
2 & 1/2 cups coconut milk (we use raw milk)
3/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
4 egg yolks
1 & 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
For crust, combine ingredients and press into a 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes at 350. Erica found that the crust was really thick, she doubled the recipe and made 3 crusts with it).
For the filling, in a small bowl shake the gelatin over the 2 Tbsp of water and set aside.
In a medium saucepan heat coconut milk (or raw whole milk) and cocoa powder. Combine egg yolks, honey and salt in a separate bowl. Temper the eggs by adding half of the heated coconut milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously.
Return mixture to the saucepan and cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not allow to boil (eggs will curdle and get chunky--but it is still salvagable).
Whisk in the gelatin and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to ensure the gelatin is dissolved completely. Mixture is just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add vanilla. Pour the mixture through a mesh sieve (to catch any bits that curdled or didn't dissolve well) into the pie pan (we have skipped this step before when we know we didn't curdle the mixture). Let stand at room temperature until cool then refrigerate.
Variations:
Chocolate Mint...add 10 drops peppermint essential oil to the crust mix. Add 5 drops to the filling at the same time you add vanilla.
Banana Cream...omit the cocoa powder from the crust and decrease oil to 2 Tablespoons. Omit the cocoa powder from the filling and decrease honey to 1/2 cup. Cut some banana pieces into the pie crust before pouring the filling. Top with more banana slices just before serving.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Homemade, GF Whole-Food Cream of Chicken Soup!
I love casseroles. I have loved them since I learned to cook...because they're easy to throw together, they usually involve a Crock-Pot (saving me lots of time), and they are delicious. Since we made the switch to whole foods, I have missed my easy casseroles. As we reintroduced raw milk, I've been looking for ways to liven up our menu. My sweet Mama sent me a casserole Crock Pot for Easter, and I was determined to use it. So I perused the recipes and was very sad to see that we couldn't eat most of them...because Cream of Chicken soup from the can is not something we can eat. As I mourned the recipes, I began to wonder...why is it called Cream of Chicken Soup? Does that mean it's just cream and broth? Hmmm....and the answer is YES!
For the yummiest, healthiest Cream of Chicken you've ever tasted...check out this recipe!
Whole-Food Cream of Chicken Soup!
1/2 cup Arrowroot powder
8 cups Homemade Chicken Broth or Stock (NO POWDER OR CANS!)
2 Tbsp Sea Salt (less if your broth is salted)
1/2 Raw Cow's Milk Cream
Whisk arrowroot powder and 1 cup chicken broth until smooth and no longer lumpy.
Add remaining broth and salt to the arrowroot mixture.
Cook over medium high, keep whisking until mixture begins to boil, continue whisking until mixture is clear.
Remove from heat, whisk in cream.
Substitute for canned Cream of Chicken in any recipe. Remember that the canned stuff has to be thinned by milk or water (since it's concentrated), so when substituting, take that in to account.
My kids said it tastes as good as gravy!
Freezes beautifully.
Happy Casseroles Whole-Food Style!!
I love casseroles. I have loved them since I learned to cook...because they're easy to throw together, they usually involve a Crock-Pot (saving me lots of time), and they are delicious. Since we made the switch to whole foods, I have missed my easy casseroles. As we reintroduced raw milk, I've been looking for ways to liven up our menu. My sweet Mama sent me a casserole Crock Pot for Easter, and I was determined to use it. So I perused the recipes and was very sad to see that we couldn't eat most of them...because Cream of Chicken soup from the can is not something we can eat. As I mourned the recipes, I began to wonder...why is it called Cream of Chicken Soup? Does that mean it's just cream and broth? Hmmm....and the answer is YES!
For the yummiest, healthiest Cream of Chicken you've ever tasted...check out this recipe!
Whole-Food Cream of Chicken Soup!
1/2 cup Arrowroot powder
8 cups Homemade Chicken Broth or Stock (NO POWDER OR CANS!)
2 Tbsp Sea Salt (less if your broth is salted)
1/2 Raw Cow's Milk Cream
Whisk arrowroot powder and 1 cup chicken broth until smooth and no longer lumpy.
Add remaining broth and salt to the arrowroot mixture.
Cook over medium high, keep whisking until mixture begins to boil, continue whisking until mixture is clear.
Remove from heat, whisk in cream.
Substitute for canned Cream of Chicken in any recipe. Remember that the canned stuff has to be thinned by milk or water (since it's concentrated), so when substituting, take that in to account.
My kids said it tastes as good as gravy!
Freezes beautifully.
Happy Casseroles Whole-Food Style!!
Monday, March 14, 2016
Pi Day!!
Thank you Archimedes for Pi. And thanks to all of the amazing healthy-eating pioneers who created recipes that my family can enjoy today! My baking-loving son and I were so glad to whip up some yummy pies today in honor of Archimedes. These recipes are honey-sweetened, GF, and have DF options. We add the dairy back in, since we love raw milk and have it aplenty. Happy Easter and Happy Pi Day!
Here are the links to my favorite recipes:
Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe (I use the filling from this recipe in the crust I have below)
http://www.mommypotamus.com/pumpkin-pie-recipe-gluten-free-paleo/
We have a dairy cow, and so have a lot of raw milk products available to us, so we substitute homemade evaporated milk in place of the coconut milk in the filling.
To make Evaporated Milk from Fresh Milk:
Simmer 2.25 cups fresh milk down until it reduces to 1 cup. Voila! Evaporated Milk! Who knew it was so easy?! And it tastes way better than the canned stuff.
I prefer this GF Pie Crust: http://thecoconutmama.com/coconut-flour-pie-crust/
This is a nice Apple Pie sweetened with honey:
http://myhoneypie66.blogspot.com/2012/06/grandmas-apple-pie.html
I imagine you could sub coconut oil for the butter if you are DF.
UPDATE 11/23/16:
I now add 1/8 cup of coconut sugar to the pie filling, just the honey isn't sweet enough for me. :)
My happy helper
Apple Pie
Chocolate Mint Pie (I'm working to get permission to post this recipe)
Thank you Archimedes for Pi. And thanks to all of the amazing healthy-eating pioneers who created recipes that my family can enjoy today! My baking-loving son and I were so glad to whip up some yummy pies today in honor of Archimedes. These recipes are honey-sweetened, GF, and have DF options. We add the dairy back in, since we love raw milk and have it aplenty. Happy Easter and Happy Pi Day!
Here are the links to my favorite recipes:
Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe (I use the filling from this recipe in the crust I have below)
http://www.mommypotamus.com/pumpkin-pie-recipe-gluten-free-paleo/
We have a dairy cow, and so have a lot of raw milk products available to us, so we substitute homemade evaporated milk in place of the coconut milk in the filling.
To make Evaporated Milk from Fresh Milk:
Simmer 2.25 cups fresh milk down until it reduces to 1 cup. Voila! Evaporated Milk! Who knew it was so easy?! And it tastes way better than the canned stuff.
I prefer this GF Pie Crust: http://thecoconutmama.com/coconut-flour-pie-crust/
This is a nice Apple Pie sweetened with honey:
http://myhoneypie66.blogspot.com/2012/06/grandmas-apple-pie.html
I imagine you could sub coconut oil for the butter if you are DF.
UPDATE 11/23/16:
I now add 1/8 cup of coconut sugar to the pie filling, just the honey isn't sweet enough for me. :)
My happy helper
Apple Pie
Chocolate Mint Pie (I'm working to get permission to post this recipe)Monday, February 22, 2016
"Chicken Chili" aka Lentil Stew with Chicken (GAPS Legal) NEW CROCK POT INSTRUCTIONS
My kids think they hate lentils. As a result, any recipe with the word "lentil" in it is automatically rejected. Lentils are super high in protein and fiber, are inexpensive, and fill our tummies. So I began a crusade to integrate lentils into our diet. This recipe went off without a hitch...and they loved it! So I renamed it "Chicken Chili" and told them I used "mini beans" to make it. They thought the idea of mini beans was so cool. I'm still not sure when I'm going to tell them that mini-beans are actually lentils. :) My kids devoured it with a slice of natural yeast wheat bread (they were wiping their bowls with the bread).There are now TWO ways to make this meal. You can plan ahead and finish the recipe in less than 45 minutes, or you can put it all in the crockpot and let it cook all day. Either way, it's delicious! The Conventional Directions takes a bit of planning (soaking the lentils for 24 hours), but not a lot of babysitting. The Crock Pot instructions are super simple, and you can add POTATOES to stretch the meal and make it even more delicious. I've adapted this recipe from "Internal Bliss" cookbook.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 cups lentils, soaked for 24 hours and drained
1 qt+ meat stock (2 quarts for Crock Pot recipe)
1-2 lbs chicken (or pork or beef), grilled or roasted and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
Pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: 2 cups greens (kale, collard, spinach)
Stove Top Directions:
One day before you plan to cook the chili, rinse and soak lentils (measure 2 cups dry lentils, rinse and remove any stones, add 6 cups water, cover and let sit for 24 hours).
After the soaking is complete, drain the lentils and rinse in a colander. In large pan, heat the butter on the stove over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add garlic, cumin and paprika, and saute for 5 minutes.
Add lentils (and optional greens) and salt/pepper to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to boil. Simmer 30+ minutes, until lentils are tender. Top each serving with chopped chicken (or other meat) and enjoy. Great with shredded cheese on top, or a side of avocado/guacamole.
Crock Pot Directions:
Rinse lentils and remove any stones. Add 2 quarts meat stock to the crock pot. Add rinsed lentils.
In large pan, heat the butter on the stove over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add garlic, cumin and paprika, and saute for 5 minutes. Add sauteed mixture to the Crock Pot. Add salt and pepper. If desired, add new potatoes on top of mixture (size no bigger than a silver dollar...we used the ones from our garden that we dug too early, or that didn't grow to full size). The potatoes are FABULOUS...they soak up all of the delicious flavor of the soup. If you don't have new potatoes, large cut up potatoes may fall apart when cooking, but would still taste good.
Place lid on Crock Pot and turn on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 7-8 hours.
Optional: top each serving with meat or cheese (or both). (If you like spicy, you can add Cayenne Pepper to taste), great with guacamole or avocado. Serve and enjoy!
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Honey-Sweetened Peanut Butter Cups
I love treats! After almost two years off of refined and artificial sweeteners, I've been on the hunt for special treats for holidays and special occasions. This is the recipe that inspired my search (and helped me realize how DELICIOUS real, whole treats taste!). Thank you to my dear friend and fellow whole-food buddy Angelica for bringing these over.
Honey-Sweetened Peanut Butter Cups (Paleo, GF, DF)
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
1/3 c. cocoa
1/3 c. raw honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Heat all ingredients in a sauce pan on medium heat until melted together. Use mini muffin pan and liners, and fill cups 3/4 full. Makes 24. Store in refrigerator (because of the coconut oil, they melt quickly). I store these delights in my freezer and pull them out for special treats. So yummy and quick! Happy snacking!
Honey-Sweetened Peanut Butter Cups (Paleo, GF, DF)
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
1/3 c. cocoa
1/3 c. raw honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Heat all ingredients in a sauce pan on medium heat until melted together. Use mini muffin pan and liners, and fill cups 3/4 full. Makes 24. Store in refrigerator (because of the coconut oil, they melt quickly). I store these delights in my freezer and pull them out for special treats. So yummy and quick! Happy snacking!
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Grain-Free Meatballs/Meatloaf
When we went off of grains and starches, I missed meatloaf and meatballs. I played with recipes until we created this one, which we LOVE! If you need to make it dairy-free, omit the cheese.
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef, turkey or pork (we usually use beef, but pork has been cheap lately...we like to blend two types of meat when we can)
1 egg
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup shredded cheese (hard cheeses like Romano or Parmesan work best, I've subbed cheddar with good results)
1/2 cup shredded zucchini or summer squash
1/4 cup shredded/diced onion
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl or large ziploc bag. Mix until combined. I like to use my Bosch mixer with the dough hook to do the work for me. If you are using a ziploc bag, just leave a little air in the bag, seal the top, and knead/massage the bag until everything is mixed.
Now you can form into a meatloaf or meatballs. If a 2-lb meatloaf is too big for your family, you can make it in mini-loaf pans. They cook faster, and are great portion control. ;) You can bake the meatloaf immediately, or freeze the uncooked mixture for cooking later. When baking unfrozen, cook at 325F for 30-45 minutes, or until cooked through. If cooking from frozen, it doesn't work well in the oven. So thaw 24 hrs in the fridge before using. We freeze ours and then cook it in the crockpot. The top doesn't brown like in the oven, but it is juicy and delicious! If cooking from frozen, simply remove meatloaf from the freezer, place unwrapped meatloaf in crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until cooked through.
If you are making meatballs, use a cookie scoop to scoop the mixture onto a cookie sheet or into mini-muffin tins. Space meatballs so they are not touching. Bake at 400F for 10-18 minutes, depending on the size of your meatballs. We make little ones for the kids and use the big scoop for the adults. Cook until no longer pink in the middle. Enjoy immediately, or cool on wire rack and then freeze for later use. I like to freeze them on a cutting board, then put them in a ziploc bag for storage in the freezer. This keeps them from sticking together in a big lump in the freezer. To reheat, simply place meatballs on a plate and warm in the microwave.
We love to serve with steamed veggies or salad, and natural yeast bread. Potato wedges are a good side, as well. Happy eating!
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef, turkey or pork (we usually use beef, but pork has been cheap lately...we like to blend two types of meat when we can)
1 egg
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup shredded cheese (hard cheeses like Romano or Parmesan work best, I've subbed cheddar with good results)
1/2 cup shredded zucchini or summer squash
1/4 cup shredded/diced onion
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl or large ziploc bag. Mix until combined. I like to use my Bosch mixer with the dough hook to do the work for me. If you are using a ziploc bag, just leave a little air in the bag, seal the top, and knead/massage the bag until everything is mixed.
Now you can form into a meatloaf or meatballs. If a 2-lb meatloaf is too big for your family, you can make it in mini-loaf pans. They cook faster, and are great portion control. ;) You can bake the meatloaf immediately, or freeze the uncooked mixture for cooking later. When baking unfrozen, cook at 325F for 30-45 minutes, or until cooked through. If cooking from frozen, it doesn't work well in the oven. So thaw 24 hrs in the fridge before using. We freeze ours and then cook it in the crockpot. The top doesn't brown like in the oven, but it is juicy and delicious! If cooking from frozen, simply remove meatloaf from the freezer, place unwrapped meatloaf in crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until cooked through.
If you are making meatballs, use a cookie scoop to scoop the mixture onto a cookie sheet or into mini-muffin tins. Space meatballs so they are not touching. Bake at 400F for 10-18 minutes, depending on the size of your meatballs. We make little ones for the kids and use the big scoop for the adults. Cook until no longer pink in the middle. Enjoy immediately, or cool on wire rack and then freeze for later use. I like to freeze them on a cutting board, then put them in a ziploc bag for storage in the freezer. This keeps them from sticking together in a big lump in the freezer. To reheat, simply place meatballs on a plate and warm in the microwave.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Natural Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust
I love pizza. And being grain-free for a year meant being very creative with crusts. I can't do standard yeast and gluten (my body reacts violently), but I can tolerate Natural Yeast with whole wheat flour that has been cultured by the yeast. The inspiration for this recipe is a bread recipe from Melissa Richardson's "The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast." It's a great resource for those wanting to explore the world of Natural Yeast.
And without further ado...YUMMY, FLAVORFUL Natural Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust! It is a light whole wheat sourdough infused with garlic and oregano flavor...hungry yet? Add your favorite toppings and voila! Delicious, healthy dinner for all!
Remember that these Natural Yeast recipes involve at least 6 hours of time when the dough is culturing on the counter. So make the dough in the morning, set it on the counter and it will be ready for dinner. :) Recipe makes 2-3 pizza crusts, depending on how thick you like your crust. We stretch the crusts on to 3 cookie sheets that have been greased with butter or coconut oil. One gets made into cheesy bread sticks (stretch to pan, pre-cut dough with pizza cutter into desired sized breadsticks, brush dough with melted butter, sprinkle garlic salt on top, add cheese and cook), and the other two are for pizza.
Natural Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust
Dough Ingredients:
1 c. Natural Yeast Start
4 c. lukewarm water
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
10-12 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 T. garlic powder
Combine Natural Yeast Start, water, salt, olive oil, oregano, garlic powder in a mixing bowl and mix until combined (you can do this by hand or use a KitchenAid/Bosch-style mixer). Add 6 cups whole wheat flour and mix until combined. Add additional flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and cleans the side of the bowl (if you need more instructions on this, there are tons of great tutorials on the internet). After dough is desired texture, cover bowl in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 6-12 hours (overnight if you want breakfast pizza).
When ready to eat (after at least 6 hours of dough culturing on the counter):
Preheat oven to 425F.
Remove plastic wrap from bowl. Divide dough into two or three pieces. Turn dough out onto a flat surface to shape. Remember that if you are trying to achieve a low-gluten recipe, DO NOT ADD FLOUR to the dough. Flour added at this stage has not been cultured by the yeast, so it will not be nutritionally available to your body, and the gluten has not been broken down for you.
Use a rolling pin to shape the dough as desired. Place shaped dough in a greased pan (we use butter on Pampered Chef Stoneware). Prick the dough with a fork 10 times in various places to prevent the "bubbles" in the crust. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, add toppings, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness of crust (until your crust is desired doneness and cheese is bubbly and gooey).
Need toppings inspiration? How about Alfredo-chicken topping? Or gourmet butternut squash sauce with spicy sausage and jack cheese? Ranch pizza with bacon and chicken? Or go classic cheese and pepperoni...ham and pineapple.
Want garlic breadsticks? Roll out the dough, place dough into greased pan. Brush dough with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic salt. Then use a pizza cutter to pre-cut the dough into strips the size of breadsticks you want (leave them in place on the pan). Top with cheese. (Optional: let rise for up to an hour...but we are never patient enough for this step). Bake 10-12 minutes, done when bottom begins to brown, dough is cooked in the middle, and cheese is bubbly and gooey.
I'm playing with the freezing directions for the crust. I'll let you know when I get it mastered. I think it will freeze best after being par-baked.
And without further ado...YUMMY, FLAVORFUL Natural Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust! It is a light whole wheat sourdough infused with garlic and oregano flavor...hungry yet? Add your favorite toppings and voila! Delicious, healthy dinner for all!
Remember that these Natural Yeast recipes involve at least 6 hours of time when the dough is culturing on the counter. So make the dough in the morning, set it on the counter and it will be ready for dinner. :) Recipe makes 2-3 pizza crusts, depending on how thick you like your crust. We stretch the crusts on to 3 cookie sheets that have been greased with butter or coconut oil. One gets made into cheesy bread sticks (stretch to pan, pre-cut dough with pizza cutter into desired sized breadsticks, brush dough with melted butter, sprinkle garlic salt on top, add cheese and cook), and the other two are for pizza.
Natural Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust
Dough Ingredients:
1 c. Natural Yeast Start
4 c. lukewarm water
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
10-12 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 T. garlic powder
Combine Natural Yeast Start, water, salt, olive oil, oregano, garlic powder in a mixing bowl and mix until combined (you can do this by hand or use a KitchenAid/Bosch-style mixer). Add 6 cups whole wheat flour and mix until combined. Add additional flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and cleans the side of the bowl (if you need more instructions on this, there are tons of great tutorials on the internet). After dough is desired texture, cover bowl in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 6-12 hours (overnight if you want breakfast pizza).
When ready to eat (after at least 6 hours of dough culturing on the counter):
Preheat oven to 425F.
Remove plastic wrap from bowl. Divide dough into two or three pieces. Turn dough out onto a flat surface to shape. Remember that if you are trying to achieve a low-gluten recipe, DO NOT ADD FLOUR to the dough. Flour added at this stage has not been cultured by the yeast, so it will not be nutritionally available to your body, and the gluten has not been broken down for you.
Use a rolling pin to shape the dough as desired. Place shaped dough in a greased pan (we use butter on Pampered Chef Stoneware). Prick the dough with a fork 10 times in various places to prevent the "bubbles" in the crust. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, add toppings, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness of crust (until your crust is desired doneness and cheese is bubbly and gooey).
Need toppings inspiration? How about Alfredo-chicken topping? Or gourmet butternut squash sauce with spicy sausage and jack cheese? Ranch pizza with bacon and chicken? Or go classic cheese and pepperoni...ham and pineapple.
Want garlic breadsticks? Roll out the dough, place dough into greased pan. Brush dough with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic salt. Then use a pizza cutter to pre-cut the dough into strips the size of breadsticks you want (leave them in place on the pan). Top with cheese. (Optional: let rise for up to an hour...but we are never patient enough for this step). Bake 10-12 minutes, done when bottom begins to brown, dough is cooked in the middle, and cheese is bubbly and gooey.
I'm playing with the freezing directions for the crust. I'll let you know when I get it mastered. I think it will freeze best after being par-baked.
Natural Yeast Bread
After one year on the GAPS diet to heal our tummies and minds, we felt it was time to give natural yeast products a try. Natural yeast is amazing. It breaks down the grains before they hit your digestive system, so the body can access the nutrients it needs from the grains without fighting tough-to-digest gluten and other parts that are hard on the tummy. After being gluten and grain-free for a year, I was stressed about trying it...we had a few experiences with gluten (most of them accidental snacks shared by friends to my children), and we knew we had gluten-sensitive tummies. I attended a class and got a natural yeast start. We gave it a go, and WOW. We've been eating bread every day for two months without tummy problems. I was making two batches a day (4 loaves), so I tweaked the recipe around until it tasted good to us and gave me three loaves, one for each meal. It costs around 50 cents a loaf to make (we grind our own wheat), and is saving my family over $200 a month in food expenses. So grateful. Happy breadmaking!
Whole Wheat Natural Yeast Bread
3/8 cup natural yeast
3 1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
10-12 cups of whole wheat flour
This recipe makes 3 loaves of bread. I burned out two KitchenAid mixers making this daily, so I've switched to Bosch and have had success without killing the motor. If you need instructions on how to work with bread, and what to look for in textures, you can find many tutorials on YouTube. I adapted recipes I've used for years from Kathy Summers' book Handmade Breads as well as the knowledge from Melissa Richardson's book The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast.
Place natural yeast, warm water, salt, and olive oil in mixing bowl. Stir. Add 7 cups whole wheat flour, mix until combined. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at at time until desired consistency is achieved. Knead well. Place in a large covered bowl on the counter to sour for 6-12 hours. I use plastic wrap or plastic lid to keep dough from drying out in my dry mountain climate. After souring is complete, divide dough into 3 pieces, and shape in to loaves. Remember that any extra flour you add at this point will not be pre-digested by the yeast, so if you are gluten sensitive, it can cause a reaction. When shaping the dough, I use butter on my fingers to keep the dough from sticking to my hands. Place shaped dough in greased pans. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, of until cooked through.
Whole Wheat Natural Yeast Bread
3/8 cup natural yeast
3 1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
10-12 cups of whole wheat flour
This recipe makes 3 loaves of bread. I burned out two KitchenAid mixers making this daily, so I've switched to Bosch and have had success without killing the motor. If you need instructions on how to work with bread, and what to look for in textures, you can find many tutorials on YouTube. I adapted recipes I've used for years from Kathy Summers' book Handmade Breads as well as the knowledge from Melissa Richardson's book The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast.
Place natural yeast, warm water, salt, and olive oil in mixing bowl. Stir. Add 7 cups whole wheat flour, mix until combined. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at at time until desired consistency is achieved. Knead well. Place in a large covered bowl on the counter to sour for 6-12 hours. I use plastic wrap or plastic lid to keep dough from drying out in my dry mountain climate. After souring is complete, divide dough into 3 pieces, and shape in to loaves. Remember that any extra flour you add at this point will not be pre-digested by the yeast, so if you are gluten sensitive, it can cause a reaction. When shaping the dough, I use butter on my fingers to keep the dough from sticking to my hands. Place shaped dough in greased pans. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, of until cooked through.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Natural Yeast Waffles
Well, I'm back, and it's been quite a wild ride. We've adopted three new children (one is medically fragile), begun homeschooling and had a radical change in our eating. Our family spent one year on the GAPS diet to heal our tummies and brains. That meant no grains, starches, sugars, processed items including pasteurized milk, chemicals, dyes, or flavorings. It is a very strict program, but works extremely well (I lost 30 pounds as a nice side effect, and my chronic body pain all disappeared). Our little girl with severe GI problems (feeding tubes and reflux vomiting) is all better and eating on her own. She is growing and thriving. So it was time to start re-introducing natural whole foods (grains and starches). We introduced Natural Yeast a few weeks ago (after no grains for 12 months). I attended a class and got a start, and have been caring for my yeast and trying new recipes. We all seem to be doing well with the Natural Yeast products, so I've been trying to develop recipes that my family loves. We have missed waffles (the coconut flour ones are ok, but I really missed that waffle crunch!). I tried the basic waffle recipe in "The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast" by Melissa Richardson, but it wasn't exactly what we were looking for (very sour for my taste). I kept researching and tweaking and I finally figured out how to make overnight waffles that we can eat!! These waffles have a slightly sour flavor. If you're not avoiding sugar, you can lather them in jam or syrup (and you can add a Tbsp or two of sugar to the batter). We used homemade strawberry-honey syrup or agave for ours. Here's the recipe:
Overnight Natural Yeast Waffles
(double batch since I'm feeding 9 people)
Ingredients for night before eating:
1/2 c. natural yeast
3 and 1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 c. melted butter (I use salted), cooled to lukewarm
1 c. Greek yogurt (unsweetened)
6 c. whole wheat flour
Melt the butter and let cool to lukewarm temperature (if its too hot it will kill the yeast). Combine natural yeast, water, butter, yogurt in the mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add flour and mix until all of the flour is absorbed into the mixture. I use my KitchenAid to mix the ingredients.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place on counter to sit overnight. The mixture will rise double or triple in size (so make sure your bowl is big enough to accommodate the volume increase).
In the morning, gather:
4 Eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
Whisk the eggs and add them to your overnight mixture. Add the baking soda and mix well. I use a hand whisk.
Pour the batter onto a greased, heated waffle iron. Follow the manufacturer directions for your specific waffle iron.
Enjoy immediately, save some and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, place waffles in a zip-top bag and store in the freezer. When ready to eat, pop them in the toaster. Happy eating!
Overnight Natural Yeast Waffles
(double batch since I'm feeding 9 people)
Ingredients for night before eating:
1/2 c. natural yeast
3 and 1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 c. melted butter (I use salted), cooled to lukewarm
1 c. Greek yogurt (unsweetened)
6 c. whole wheat flour
Melt the butter and let cool to lukewarm temperature (if its too hot it will kill the yeast). Combine natural yeast, water, butter, yogurt in the mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add flour and mix until all of the flour is absorbed into the mixture. I use my KitchenAid to mix the ingredients.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place on counter to sit overnight. The mixture will rise double or triple in size (so make sure your bowl is big enough to accommodate the volume increase).
In the morning, gather:
4 Eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
Whisk the eggs and add them to your overnight mixture. Add the baking soda and mix well. I use a hand whisk.
Pour the batter onto a greased, heated waffle iron. Follow the manufacturer directions for your specific waffle iron.
Enjoy immediately, save some and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, place waffles in a zip-top bag and store in the freezer. When ready to eat, pop them in the toaster. Happy eating!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Simple Cherry Pie Filling
What a whirlwind year it has been! I have been leaning heavily on my tried and true recipes, and enjoying them. But my friends keep asking when I'll be posting something new...so I keep looking for an opportunity. Each summer our neighbor's tree bursts with cherries and we become the glad beneficiaries of pounds and pounds of tart cherries. I've been searching for a good pie filling recipe, and this is by far my favorite. I know we're a bit past cherry season this year (sorry about that), but at least it's ready to go next year!Simple Cherry Pie Filling
Ingredients:
Lemon Juice and water mixture (to prevent browning)
4 cups pitted tart red cherries
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Directions:
1. Pit cherries, soak in mixture of 1 gallon water and 1 cup lemon juice to prevent browning.
2. In another bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch until well blended. Set aside.
3. Drain cherries, discard lemon water. Place cherries into a saucepan, cover. Heat cherries on medium heat, stirring often, until cherries release juice and the juice simmers. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cherries from heat.
4. Pour sugar mixture into hot cherries and juice, and mix well. Return to low heat, bring to a simmer, and cook until filling thickens. This takes about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool.
Filling is ready to use or freeze.
Freezer Directions:
If you plan to use this filling for pie, you'll need Gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bags, aluminum foil, pie tins, and pie crust (optional). If you plan to use it for cobbler or other desserts, you can just use quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags.
For Pie with crust:
Make fresh pie crust (or use pre-made frozen), place in pie tin and shape. Pour filling into unbaked crust (fill pie, but do not overfill or it will spill over during baking). Cover top of pie with aluminum foil. Carefully slide unbaked pie in labeled Ziploc freezer bag (labeled with Recipe name, cooking directions for pie crust, and date). Remove all air from freezer bag and seal. Place sealed pie in freezer on a flat surface. Note: if pie tin is too big to fit in Freezer bag, wrap in Saran Wrap and freeze carefully. The Ziploc bags helps prevent freezer burn and spills in your freezer.
When ready to bake: Remove pie from freezer, remove ziploc bag. Preheat oven. Place pie on cookie sheet. Bake according to crust baking directions. Bake until the juices that bubble up in the center are clear and shiny. If edge of crust begins to overbrown, cover with strips of foil. Place on wire rack to cool.
For pie without crust (phantom container method):
Place cooled pie filling in gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag. Place filled Ziploc bag in pie tin and spread the filling out so that it is "pie shaped." Make sure not to put too much filling in the bag. As you shape the filling to fit the pie tin, leave room for the crust that will be added before baking. If there is too much filling, it will spill over during baking. Remove air from bag and seal. Freeze on flat surface in freezer.
For cobbler or other uses:
Pour 2 cups cherry pie filling in Ziploc freezer bags. Remove air from bag and seal. Thaw and use like canned pie filling.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
French Onion Soup 2
It's onion season at my house, so I gave French Onion Soup a try again today. I adapted the recipe from my notes the last time I made it, and here's the new and improved recipe:
French Onion Soup (by Avalie)
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
8 Medium Onions, thinly sliced
5 cups Water
2 tsp. Beef Bouillion
1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
French Bread
Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
Melt butter over medium-low heat in large skillet or wok. Add onions and salt and cook on medium-high. When onions are tender and begin to carmelize (about 45 mins), reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, 15 minutes more until turn deep golden brown. Transfer onions to a soup pot. Add water, beef broth, and thyme. Heat to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. If going to freeze, place soup in freezer containers or mason jars, let cool, cover, and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw soup, then preheat oven to 450. Cut French Bread into slices, place on baking sheet. Bake French Bread for 5-10 minutes to heat and make slightly crispy (this prevents the bread from getting mushy in your soup). Place oven-proof bowls on pan, spoon soup into bowls. Top soup with bread, then grate cheese onto bread. Bake 12-15 mins, until cheese has melted and begun to brown.
If you're eating away from home (lunch at work), you can reheat the soup in the microwave, with the shredded cheese on the top, and serve some french bread on the side for dipping. Enjoy!!
French Onion Soup (by Avalie)
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
8 Medium Onions, thinly sliced
5 cups Water
2 tsp. Beef Bouillion
1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
French Bread
Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
Melt butter over medium-low heat in large skillet or wok. Add onions and salt and cook on medium-high. When onions are tender and begin to carmelize (about 45 mins), reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, 15 minutes more until turn deep golden brown. Transfer onions to a soup pot. Add water, beef broth, and thyme. Heat to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. If going to freeze, place soup in freezer containers or mason jars, let cool, cover, and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw soup, then preheat oven to 450. Cut French Bread into slices, place on baking sheet. Bake French Bread for 5-10 minutes to heat and make slightly crispy (this prevents the bread from getting mushy in your soup). Place oven-proof bowls on pan, spoon soup into bowls. Top soup with bread, then grate cheese onto bread. Bake 12-15 mins, until cheese has melted and begun to brown.
If you're eating away from home (lunch at work), you can reheat the soup in the microwave, with the shredded cheese on the top, and serve some french bread on the side for dipping. Enjoy!!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Chalupa
Another great crock pot recipe using dry beans! You can use Anaheim Peppers in place of the green chiles, if you have them.
Chalupa (Fix it and Forget it cookbook, adapted by Avalie)
3 lb pork roast
1 lb dry pinto beans
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp salt
4-oz can chopped green chiles, or 1 Anaheim Chili, seeded and minced
Water
Cover beans with water and soak overnight in slow cooker. In the morning, remove beans (reserve soaking water), and put roast in bottom of cooker. Add remaining ingredients (including beans and their soaking water) and more water if needed to cover ingredients. Cook on High 1 hour, them Low 6 hours. Remove meat and shred with two forks. Return meat to slow cooker. Cook on high 1 more hour. Serve in tortillas, over chips, or over bed of lettuce with grated cheese and chopped onions adn tomatoes. To freeze, let chalupa cool. Put in Quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags. I like to freeze 2 to 3 cups (that's how much my family will eat for one meal) in each bag. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Label bag with contents, then lay flat to freeze. To reheat, remove chalupa from Ziploc bag and microwave until heated through.
Chalupa (Fix it and Forget it cookbook, adapted by Avalie)
3 lb pork roast
1 lb dry pinto beans
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp salt
4-oz can chopped green chiles, or 1 Anaheim Chili, seeded and minced
Water
Cover beans with water and soak overnight in slow cooker. In the morning, remove beans (reserve soaking water), and put roast in bottom of cooker. Add remaining ingredients (including beans and their soaking water) and more water if needed to cover ingredients. Cook on High 1 hour, them Low 6 hours. Remove meat and shred with two forks. Return meat to slow cooker. Cook on high 1 more hour. Serve in tortillas, over chips, or over bed of lettuce with grated cheese and chopped onions adn tomatoes. To freeze, let chalupa cool. Put in Quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags. I like to freeze 2 to 3 cups (that's how much my family will eat for one meal) in each bag. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Label bag with contents, then lay flat to freeze. To reheat, remove chalupa from Ziploc bag and microwave until heated through.
Anaheim Peppers
We got a bunch of Anaheim Peppers in our Bountiful Basket this week, and I found a great recipe to use them. It's a bit like a red enchilada sauce, but it's spicy. To reduce the heat, just remove the seeds before broiling. This is very similar to the Tomatillo Salsa Recipe. I learned that you can sub Anaheim peppers for any recipe that calls for green chiles, you just need to seed and broil them first. Another option is to make the Tomatillo Salsa (last posting), and sub 4 Anaheim peppers for the jalapenos.
Anaheim Red Sauce
10-12 tomatoes
1 small onion, quartered
5 Anaheim Peppers, stems removed
1 rounded Tbsp chopped garlic
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
1 rounded Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp lime juice
Preheat the broiler. Place tomatoes, onion quarters, and Anaheim peppers in a baking dish (remember not to use glass under your broiler!). Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, or until they begin to blacken. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, transfer the vegetables, and any liquid that has seeped out, along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. If sauce is too runny for your liking, simply bring to a boil, stirring constantly, reduce to a simmer in a pan on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened. Use as a red enchilada sauce or a salsa. Delicious! Freezes beautifully (in jars or your favorite enchilada recipe).
Anaheim Red Sauce
10-12 tomatoes
1 small onion, quartered
5 Anaheim Peppers, stems removed
1 rounded Tbsp chopped garlic
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
1 rounded Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp lime juice
Preheat the broiler. Place tomatoes, onion quarters, and Anaheim peppers in a baking dish (remember not to use glass under your broiler!). Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, or until they begin to blacken. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, transfer the vegetables, and any liquid that has seeped out, along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. If sauce is too runny for your liking, simply bring to a boil, stirring constantly, reduce to a simmer in a pan on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened. Use as a red enchilada sauce or a salsa. Delicious! Freezes beautifully (in jars or your favorite enchilada recipe).
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Mexican Salsas and More
So I've embarked on a new adventure with Bountiful Baskets Co-Op, and I've been challenged to find great recipes using all of the fabulous produce we get every week. Here's some ideas for tomatoes, tomatillos, and other delicious items. The Pico de Gallo and Guacamole don't freeze (obviously), but the Tomatillo recipes do. These make a great addition to the Black Beans and Rice (just put "black" in the search function at the top of the blog). You can make a smothered burrito with beans and rice in the middle, a little cheese, chicken/beef, and whatever else sounds good to you. Then pour the tomatillo salsa over the top. Add sour cream and guac and...OLE! Enjoy.
Avy’s Pico de Gallo
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp salt
1-2 tsp lime juice
Mix together all ingredients.
Refrigerate, serve chilled (flavor deepens if refrigerated overnight before serving)
If you want to make a blended salsa instead of a chunky pico, just add 1 cup at a time to blender. Pulse to blend.
Chevy’s Guacamole
3 avocados
1 Tbsp lime juice
½ cup Pico de Gallo
1 ½ tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp stemmed, seeded, and minced jalapeño
1 tsp salt
Pit the avocados. Score avocado meat without cutting through the skin. Scoop out the avocado meat with a large spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add the lime juice, and stir to evenly coat the avocados. Stir in the Pico de Gallo, garlic, oil, jalepeno, and salt, gently mashing and tossing the avocado pieces. The guacamole is the right consistency when more large pieces than mashed parts remain. Do not overmash.
Chevy’s Fresh Mex Tomatillo Salsa
1 lb tomatillos, husked
½ onion, quartered
4-10 jalapeños, stemmed
1 rounded tablespoon chopped garlic
¾ cup chopped cilantro
¼ tsp cumin
½ Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp lime juice
Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatillos, onion quarters, and jalapenos in a baking dish. Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 8-10 mins, or until they begin to blacken. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, transfer the vegetables and any liquid that has seeped out, along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. Serve chilled. Makes 2 cups. Freezes well.
Chevy’s Tomatillo Salsa Verde
1 lb tomatillos, husked
3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and cut in half
½ onion, quartered
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ tsp salt
In a stockpot over high heat, boil the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion in water to cover for 5 minutes. Cook just until al dente, not soft, breaking up the onion quarters as they boil. Drain off the cooking water and transfer the boiled vegetables to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use or for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 cups. Freezes well.
Check out my Caribbean beans and rice recipe, and my black bean recipe.
Both make excellent burritos with any of these salsas on top!
Enjoy your Mexican Food!!
Avy’s Pico de Gallo
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp salt
1-2 tsp lime juice
Mix together all ingredients.
Refrigerate, serve chilled (flavor deepens if refrigerated overnight before serving)
If you want to make a blended salsa instead of a chunky pico, just add 1 cup at a time to blender. Pulse to blend.
Chevy’s Guacamole
3 avocados
1 Tbsp lime juice
½ cup Pico de Gallo
1 ½ tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp stemmed, seeded, and minced jalapeño
1 tsp salt
Pit the avocados. Score avocado meat without cutting through the skin. Scoop out the avocado meat with a large spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add the lime juice, and stir to evenly coat the avocados. Stir in the Pico de Gallo, garlic, oil, jalepeno, and salt, gently mashing and tossing the avocado pieces. The guacamole is the right consistency when more large pieces than mashed parts remain. Do not overmash.
Chevy’s Fresh Mex Tomatillo Salsa
1 lb tomatillos, husked
½ onion, quartered
4-10 jalapeños, stemmed
1 rounded tablespoon chopped garlic
¾ cup chopped cilantro
¼ tsp cumin
½ Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp lime juice
Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatillos, onion quarters, and jalapenos in a baking dish. Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 8-10 mins, or until they begin to blacken. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, transfer the vegetables and any liquid that has seeped out, along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. Serve chilled. Makes 2 cups. Freezes well.
Chevy’s Tomatillo Salsa Verde
1 lb tomatillos, husked
3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and cut in half
½ onion, quartered
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ tsp salt
In a stockpot over high heat, boil the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion in water to cover for 5 minutes. Cook just until al dente, not soft, breaking up the onion quarters as they boil. Drain off the cooking water and transfer the boiled vegetables to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use or for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 cups. Freezes well.
Check out my Caribbean beans and rice recipe, and my black bean recipe.
Both make excellent burritos with any of these salsas on top!
Enjoy your Mexican Food!!
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