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Crispy Almonds

I just finished making my first batch of crispy almonds. It’s pretty much the same recipe for making crispy walnuts, cripsy peanuts and crispy pecans. Yum!!! These are great to eat plain, and I can’t wait to use some to make almond butter. I used almonds with the skins on since that’s what I found at the store. Skinless almonds are easier to digest, though. I’ll have to try them sometime.

Crispy Almonds

4 cups almonds
1 Tbsp. unrefined sea salt
filtered water

Mix almonds, salt and water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours (I did about 24 hours). Drain in a colander. Spread on a baking pan and place in warm oven (150 degrees) for 12 – 24 hours, stirring occasionally, until completely dry and crisp. Or you can dry them in a dehydrator. Store in an airtight container.

Dairy Kefir – Take 2

Last week I got some kefir grains and made my first attempt at making some. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing or what it was supposed to look like/taste like. And it didn’t seem to work that well. So I did a little more research, watched a few videos and tried again this week. Well, I think it worked this time 🙂  And it really wasn’t hard at all. I think I just hadn’t given my grains enough time to adjust/grow before. My first batch of kefir is still probably on the thin side. But it’s way thicker than the stuff I made last week. I mixed kefir and yogurt together yesterday for lunch. That worked well. The kefir does have a pretty strong sour taste. I love the tangy taste of plain yogurt. But kefir is different. I haven’t accquired the taste for eating it plain yet. But maybe I will over time. I’m excited to have kefir and to try in various recipes. And mostly excited about its impact on my gut 🙂

In addition to dairy kefir there is also water kefir. Which also is great for your digestive system. I’ve read about it many places. Maybe I’ll try that next (thanks for the suggestions Sara and Donielle!).

Here’s the basic idea of how to make dairy kefir:

Kefir

1. Put kefir grains in a clean container (a mason jar works well)
2. Poor milk into the jar (how much milk you use depends on how many grains you have and how much kefir you want to make. To start out I’m only using about a cup of milk.) and stir with non-metallic spoon.

3. Cover jar loosely (I use cheesecloth secured with a ring)
4. Set in a warm spot, away from sunlight (I put mine in a kitchen cupboard…above my oven)
5. In 12 – 48 hours you should have kefir (The time depends on your grains and how strong you like the kefir)

6. Strain the kefir into another jar. (I pour it through a strainer)

7. Put the grains back into the old jar and pour milk on top. Repeat steps 3 – 6 for more kefir. Or store in the refrigerator if you want a break from making kefir.

8. Cover the kefir you just  made. You can put it right in the refrigerator. Or you can let it set out a while to continue to thicken and separate. If it separates the top portion will be thicker, like yogurt. The bottom will be whey. You can use them together or separate, just like you do with yogurt.

Strawberry Banana Sourdough Muffins

It’s strawberry season, and we have a bunch in the fridge. And my sourdough starter is getting big. So I figured I’d use them up together. While searching for sourdough muffin recipes I mostly found recipe for blueberry muffins. And most of them are very similar. So I just picked one as my base. Then I used strawberries and bananas (I have some bananas to use up too) instead of blueberries. Any berry would work. I bet diced apples would even be good. I made these yesterday morning for breakfast. Yum!!! Very good. All 3 of us really like them. They taste great warm with a healthy spread of butter 🙂  Butter and sourdough are such a great match. These are mildly sweet and still have a hint of the sourdough flavor. I used the recipe from Sourdough Home. I’ll post the original recipe and add my adjustments. This said it made 6 muffins, so I doubled the recipe…and got 21 muffins! I filled the muffin cups to the top too. Maybe it makes 6 jumbo muffins. I fed my sourdough starter the night before and let it sit on the counter so it was ready in the morning. I don’t know if this step is necessary, but most recipes suggest it (although this one didn’t). Some chopped crispy walnuts would be really good in these.

*Edited 8/5/10 – I made another batch of these today with a little mashed banana and some blueberries. So good!!! And more moist than with the strawberries. I used about 1 cup of berries instead of 1/2 cup. I got 12 muffins out of it.

Strawberry Banana Sourdough Muffins
make 10-12 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sugar or fructose (You can double this if you want them sweeter. For a double batch I used 3/4 cups…worked well.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup oil (I used coconut)
1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup blueberries (I added diced strawberries. I also added some mashed banana and some small banana chunks.) (I think they’re better with 1 cup of berries…blueberries work very well.)

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine dry ingredients in small bowl. Stir in blueberries (strawberries and banana chunks). Combine wet ingredients (and mashed banana) in medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ones.

Mix quickly and spoon into muffin cups (I used silicon muffin cups…the muffins popped right out.).

Bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes.

Strawberry Shortcake

I’ve never really been a fan of strawberry shortcake. I don’t like biscuit-type things or the sponge cake kind either. And I don’t like whipped cream. So that leaves the strawberries 😛  And that is what I would eat growing up when my mom made it…just the sweetened strawberries (sometimes on ice cream) while everyone else ate the shortcake. It’s strawberry season right now. And I decided I’d try making shortcake…never have before. Laura on Heavenly Homemakers posted a simple, healthy recipe the other day…that looked good to me…because it’s not a biscuit or a sponge 😛  Rebecca and I made it yesterday. So easy! And really good. It is very mildly sweet. And goes really well with strawberries. I still have mine with ice cream instead of whipped cream, but at least this time I actually ate the shortcake 🙂  All 3 of us love it. Of course Rebecca is a girl after my own heart…I got her a little dish…but she wouldn’t eat it until I added ice cream and chocolate 😛

Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcake

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (I use some freshly ground sprouted whole wheat and some freshly ground whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup oil (I use coconut oil)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (I used my mild kefir)

4-5 cups of fresh, sliced strawberries (I gave it to Rebecca with fresh strawberries. I mashed some strawberries with cane sugar for ours 🙂  It’s good both ways.)

Whipped cream (fresh cream whipped to form soft peaks, with a bit of stevia added for sweetness) (Justin had readi-whip on his…have some on hand to use up from a dessert I made for church last week. I had ice cream on mine.)
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Mix together flour and baking powder. Add in eggs, honey, oil, vanilla and milk. Stir well (or mix well with hand mixer). Pour into a well buttered 8×8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes (Mine took about 30 minutes).

Allow cake to cool completely. Top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. (9 servings)

Fermented Punch

Keeping with my June goals I’m trying some fermented drinks. These can be more beneficial to your digestive system and overall health than only drinking water. And some of them are so easy to make. So I’m giving it a shot. I’m starting with punch. It’s a Nourishing Traditions recipe. It’s kind of like lemonade (basically lemon juice, water and sugar). Not sure how the fermenting will impact the taste. It’s still in the fermenting process. I’ll have to update once I’ve tried it (tonight or tomorrow). I hope it turns out well. It was simple to make. And a perfect way to use up some of the organic lemons I have. I only made a half recipe to try it. If it’s good it’ll be a very cheap, healthy and easy drink to have on hand in place of things like juice.

**Edited 6/2/10 – This is very good! Tastes like lemonade. Now I have a great replacement for my grape juice. I was wondering how I was going to be able to cut out juice. This is it! Cheap, easy and good for my tummy.

Fermented Punch
Makes 2 quarts

juice of 6-8 lemons
1/2 cup Rapadura (I used organic cane sugar)
1/2 cup whey
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
2 quarts filtered water

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart glass container (I used a 1 quart mason jar to make a half batch). Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for 2-3 days (I shook it up a bit when I first put it in the jar). Skim off any foam that may have risen to the top. Cover tightly and refrigerate. The punch will develop more flavor over time.

Kishk Granola

This morning I made a new batch of granola. Last week I made a batch of soaked granola. I made it the same way I always make granola. But it got a bit overdone. Today I decided to try a “raw” granola…meaning unbaked. I got this recipe from Nourishing Traditions. The main ingredient is kishk (a fermented dish made with cracked wheat that is soaked and dried). I substituted my soaked and dried oats. I also added some flax seed and a few sunflower seeds. It’s kind of strange to just have it all mixed together unbaked, kind of loose. We’ll see how it works. I’ll try some later today. I only made a small batch to try it out. I think my next experiment will be somwhere inbetween…only bake it for 5 or 10 minutes. Maybe that will be the perfect balance. It will hold together, but not be overdone.

 

Kishk Granola
Makes 6 cups

4 cups kishk (I used soaked oats) (this can be gluten free if you use gf oats)
1 cup crispy pecans, almonds or cashews, chopped (I used pecans and walnuts…if using walnuts be sure to store the granola in the refrigerator since walnuts can easily get rancid)
1 cup dried sweetened coconut meat (I just used some organic, unsweetened coconut flakes and added a little extra sugar to compensate)
1 cup dried fruit (I used raisins)
1/2 cup Rapadura (I used organic cane sugar)

Mix all ingredients together. Store in zip-lock bags or airtight containers in refrigerator. Eat like granola with milk or cream.

This cereal will actually keep well for several weeks at room temp and is a good provision to take when one is traveling and wants to avoid hotel breakfasts.

Nut Butter

I made crispy peanuts this week and used them to make peanut butter. This recipe is from Nourishing Traditions. This is a very healthy treat! Soaked nuts, coconut oil, unrefined sea salt and raw honey…what could be better? I had some on my toasted sourdough bread this morning…YUM!!!! It’s actually quite sweet…you could cut back on the honey. Either way it is so delicious. I can’t wait to try this recipe using other types of nuts.

Nut Butter
Makes 2 cups

2 cups crispy nuts, such as peanuts, almonds or cashews
3/4 cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp. raw honey
1 tsp. sea salt

Place nuts and sea salt in food processor and grind to a fine powder. Add honey and coconut oil and process until “butter” becomes smooth. It will be somewhat liquid but will harden when chilled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve at room temp.

almond butter
Edited 6/26/10 – I made cashew butter and almond butter using this recipe yesterday. Both so delicious!! Rebecca kept asking for more 🙂  She had toast with cashew butter and a tortilla with almond butter yesterday. I only put a drizzle of honey in this time. Still plenty sweet.
cashew butter (left), almond butter (right)

Crispy Peanuts

I made a batch of crispy peanuts this week. Similar method to the pecans and walnuts I’ve made. I used my dehydrator this time since it’s too hot to use the oven. It took a little longer but worked just fine. These are really good. And they’re even better in homemade peanut butter 🙂

Crispy peanuts

4 cups raw peanuts, preferably skinless
1 Tbsp. sea salt
filtered water

Mix peanuts with salt and water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours. Drain in a colander. Spread on stainless steel baking pan and place in 150 degree oven for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally, until completely dry and crisp. Store in an airtight container.

Fermented Bean Paste

I’m trying out some recipes of lacto-fermented foods. Why? Because it’s good for digestion, of course 🙂  It enhances the food’s digestibility and increases the vitamin level. It also produces helpful enzymes and antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances. And it promotes the growth of healthy flora in the intestines. To top it off…it’s easy! So I say, why not? And especially now that it’s hot it’s nice to be able to make food that you don’t have to cook. My first recipe is fermented bean paste. It sounded easy and delicious…kind of like hummus or refried beans. We haven’t used it yet, so I’ll have to update later with the verdict. I did taste just a little when I made it. It was quite strong, but good. I think part of the strong flavor comes from the onions I used…my FIL grows very strong onions. Maybe next time I’ll use a milder onion. I forgot to take a picture when I made it, so I’ll have to update later after we try it. You do need whey to make this (and most fermented fruits/veggies). You can make whey by straining yogurt. Very simple  I got this recipe from Nourishing Traditions.

*Updated 5/29/10 – We tried this last night. It’s quite good. Justin and I both liked it. Like I said before, it’s very strong. The next time I make it I’ll use a milder onion. But it’s still good. I served it with homemade pita bread (along with some hummus). Great combo. And it’s good enough that I sometimes eat a spoonful before a meal (even if I’m not serving it with the meal) just to help my tummy. That’s what it’s for 🙂  It’s kind of a condiment…like having pickles with a meal. You just have a little with your meal.

Fermented Bean Paste
makes 1 quart

3 cups beans, cooked and drained (I used pinto beans…soaked for about 24 hours then cooked  for an hour or two)
1 onion, peeled and coursely chopped (I didn’t use this much onion and it was still very strong)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp. sea salt (make sure it’s unrefined sea salt)
4 Tbsp. whey

Place the onion and garlic in food processor and process until well chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Place in quart-sized wide-mouth jar, leaving 1 inch of space between the top of the beans and the top of the jar. Cover tightly and leave at room temp for about 3 days before transferring to the refrigerator (it might take less time if your house is hot or longer if it’s cold). Serve as a dip with pita chips or tortilla chips.

Whole Wheat Soaked Tortillas

I’ve had tortillas on my list of things to try making for a long time now. I recently found a soaked recipe that sounded super simple on Naturally Knocked Up. So I had to try them. These really are soooo easy to make. And they’re good! As usual Rebecca ate a whole one as soon as it came off the pan 🙂  She’s my taste-tester. She definitely approved. And they were great wtih our tacos last night (more on that later). Of course with any first attempt they weren’t perfect. I only made a half batch for my first try. I got around 15 tortillas out of it. They were a little dryer and a little thicker than we’d ideally like, but still very good. The recipe says the dough can sit for 1 to 8 hours. Mine actually sat for a little over 8 hours. And the tops of the dough balls got dried out a little. I think next time I’ll make the dough slightly more moist. And I’ll cover the balls better or not let them sit as long. I’ll also try to roll them a little thinner next time. I did get them farily thin, but they could still be thinner. I love that these are soaked (I used yogurt this time. Maybe next time I’ll try whey) and that they are whole wheat. And now I have supply of homemade tortillas in the freezer! These didn’t take long to make. I prepped the dough in about 10 min. in the morning. Then making them took a half hour or less. I could roll one or two while one was cooking. And I had most of the mess cleaned up before the last one was done cooking.

Whole Wheat Soaked Tortillas

5 cups of flour (I used whole wheat)
2 teaspoons salt (I used sea salt)
1/2 cup oil (I used EVOO)
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp whey, kefir, yogurt, etc. (I used yogurt)

Mix the flours and salt together and then hand mix in the oil and whey. Mix and rub together until it kinda looks like oatmeal. Make a well in the center and pour the boiling water in. Stir together until dough forms and is neither sticky or crumbly. Then roll into golf ball sized balls. For burritos, make them a bit bigger, for smaller tacos make just a tad smaller. Let sit, covered, for at least an hour or up to 8 hours.

Then start rolling. (get your non stick pan started on a fairly high heat for about 5 minutes before you throw one on).

Plop it down on a hot naked pan (no grease!) for about 10 seconds until you see it just start to bubble around the edges.

Flip over and let set for about 30 seconds. (Sometimes they puff up and I’ll either just leave ‘em or hold them down with a spatula, either way they turn out fine)

Flip over to the first side and cook for another 30 seconds. After doing a couple you’ll begin to see exactly how high your stovetop should be set. You want them to cook quick, but not burn. Leave them undercooked and they can get dense.