Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Amish Bread pudding

This is a very easy, basic recipe.  I’ve used everything from organic challah raisin bread to whole wheat bread and they all come out wonderfully.  You can use berries, chopped apples or most any other fruit instead of the raisins. 

Ingredients:

2 cups whole organic milk (or 2 cups half & half) – preferably unpasturized

¼  cup organic butter

2/3   cup organic sugar, sucanat or rapudura

4 organic pastured eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼  teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

4 cups bread, torn into small pieces

½  cup organic raisins

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk (or half & half) just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.

2. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with a whisk for one minute.

3. Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.

4. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Pour batter on top of bread.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm, room temperatures or cold. It’s good at all temperatures.

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I’m always looking for a great roasted chicken recipe and I’ve tried many good ones over the years but they were always somewhat lacking. I tried one this week that’s a winner. This will be my standard roasted chicken recipe from now on.

It’s from The Foodie Handbook by Pim Techamuanvivit and she based her recipe on the one from Simply French by Patricia Wells. I tweaked it a bit as well and it was fantastic. Even the leftovers were amazingly good.

Ingredients:

One 3 ½ – 4 ½ pound Organic Pastured Chicken

3 tbs. organic butter

1 – 2 tablespoons Celtic sea salt & some cracked pepper

Optional ingredients:

1 organic onion

1 – 2 heads of garlic

One lemon

Leek tops

Sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425°.

Rinse the chicken and dry it with paper towels. Take the butter – you can melt it if it’s too cold – and rub it all over the chicken.  Then sprinkle the salt and a bit of pepper and rub that in too. Make sure you get some salt inside the chicken as well.

The optional ingredients are used to stuff the bird. I used leek tops and some springs of fresh rosemary and thyme. They both really easy to grow, and great for cooking.  Then take some kitchen twine and tie the legs and wings close to the body. This will make it easier to flip the chicken while cooking.

I used a glass roasting pan with a small flat rack. You can use an angled one as well if you have it.  Put the chicken breast side down on the rack, in your pan and put it into the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes take your pan out and baste and flip the chicken to breast side up. Cook for another 30 minutes.  Then baste and flip breast side down for another 10-20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken (10 minutes for a 3 ½ pound chicken, 20 for 4 ½ ). Baste again and turn it breast side up for the last ten minutes. Total cooking time is 1 hour and 20 (or 30) minutes

You will know when your chicken is done by poking the top of your knife into the thick part of the thigh. When the juices run clear it’s done.  Cover loosely and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. It was a perfect chicken. The skin was crispy, the breast meat moist and the rosemary and thyme added great flavor. Enjoy!

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/03/pennywise-platter-thursday-41.html

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Here’s another custard recipe that I decided to try this past week. You don’t need to scald the milk just mix everything together and bake. It was just as good as last weeks Sweet Potato Custard and even easier to make.  Everyone loved this one!

SERVINGS: 6

4 large eggs

1/3 cup rapadura, honey, maple syrup or organic sugar

1/8 teaspoon celtic sea salt

2 1/4 cups raw whole milk

1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1/8  teaspoon freshly grated organic nutmeg

1/4  teaspoon organic cinnamon

MAKE AHEAD:

The custards can be refrigerated overnight.

1.Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and honey. Add salt, spices and stir until dissolved. Stir in the milk & vanilla. Pour custard mixture into six 4-ounce custard cups.

2. Set the cups in a large roasting pan and place in the oven. Pour 1 inch of hot water into the roasting pan and bake the custards for about 30 minutes, or until just set. If your milk is cold is can take 35-40 minutes so just add 5 minutes or so if they’re not set yet.  Remove from the water bath when cool enough to handle. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

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We had a left over sweet potato that the kids weren’t eating so I started looking for recipes and found this one. It was fantastic!  It’s very easy and a fancy enough dessert to serve to company. I think it would also work well with pumpkin (will try that next).  My husband has already requested that I make it again.

Ingredients:

    * 1 3/4 cups whole organic raw milk

    * 3 large pastured eggs

    * 1 cup pureed organic sweet potato

    * 1/3 cup rapadura or organic sugar

    * dash celtic sea salt

    * 1/2 teaspoon ground organic cinnamon

    * dash ground organic nutmeg

    * dash ground organic cloves

    * dash ground organic ginger

    * freshly ground organic nutmeg or organic cinnamon for topping

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°. Butter 6 5- to 6-ounce custard cups; set cups in a large baking or roasting pan.

Heat the milk until very hot, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add sweet potato, sugar, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and dashes of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Whisk in milk and beat until well blended. Pour into the prepared custard cups.

Heat about 5 to 6 cups of water until nearly simmering.

Place the pan with cups in the hot oven then fill the outer pan with the very hot water until the water is about halfway up the side of the custard cups.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until edges are firm. The center of the custards will still jiggle a bit. Allow a little more time if you’re using larger custard cups, and check early if using very small or shallow cups.

Remove cups from water immediately and place on a wire rack to cool. Cover the cooled custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The custards may be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on the size of the cups.

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-march-12th/

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In my search for recipes to use the wonderful eggs we get from our chickens, I came across a recipe I used to make years ago, Broccoli Quiche.  It’s still delicious and very easy to make. You can use a frozen pie crust or make your own.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons organic butter

1 organic onion, minced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups chopped fresh organic broccoli

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

1 1/2 cups shredded raw milk cheese, whatever you like: Swiss, Cheddar, etc

4 pastured eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 cups raw, whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon organic butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions,

garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the

vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with

cheese.

3. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted

butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.

1. 4.Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutess, or until center has set. It can take up to an hour.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 30Minutes

Servings: 6

Read more great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/02/pennywise-platter-thursday-21810.html

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This is one of our favorite ways to eat salmon.  You can serve more people on a smaller portion of fish, and if there are leftovers it really is a wonderful breakfast.  The recipe is from Nigella Lawson.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups cold water, for poaching the fish

2 lime leaves, torn into pieces

4 salmon fillets (approximately 1-inch thick), preferably organic, skinned (about 1 1/2 pounds in total)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup basmati rice – you can use brown or white basmati, organic of course. 🙂

3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, plus more, for garnish

1 lime, zested and juiced plus lime segments, for garnish

Fish sauce, to taste (recommended: nam pla)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

This is because the easiest way to poach salmon for this dish is to do it in the oven. So: pour the water into a roasting pan, add the lime leaves and then the salmon. Cover the pan with foil, put in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes, by which time the salmon should be tender. Remove the pan from the oven and drain the liquid off into a pitcher. Keep the fish warm simply by replacing the foil on the pan.

Melt the butter in a wide, heavy saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid, and add the oil to stop the butter burning. Soften the onion in the pan and add the spices, then keep cooking till the onion is slightly translucent and suffused with soft perfume of the spices. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon so that it’s all well coated. There’s not enough onion to give a heavy coating: just make sure the rice is fragrantly slicked.

Pour in the reserved liquid from the pitcher, about 2 1/4 cups, and stir before covering with the lid and cooking gently for 15 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time, when the rice is tender and has lost all chalkiness, turn off the heat, remove the lid, cover the pan with a dish towel and then replace the lid. This will help absorb any extra moisture from the rice. It is also the best way to let the rice stand without getting sticky or cold, which is useful when you’ve got a few friends and a few dishes to keep your eye on.

Just before you want to eat, drain off any extra liquid that’s collected in the dish with the salmon, then flake the fish with a fork. Add to it the rice, egg, cilantro, lime juice and a drop or 2 of fish sauce. Stir gently to mix – I use a couple of wooden paddles or spatulas – and taste to see if you want any more lime juice or fish sauce. Sprinkle over the zest from the 2 juiced halves of the lime and serve. I love it served just as it is in the roasting dish, but if you want to, and I often do (consistency is a requirement of a recipe but not of a cook), decant into large plate before you add the lime zest, then surround with lime segments and add the zest and a small handful of freshly chopped cilantro.

This is one of those rare dishes that manages to be comforting and light at the same time. And – should you have leftovers, which I wouldn’t count on – it’s heavenly eaten, as all leftovers demand to be, standing up, straight from the fridge.

From:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/asian-spiced-kedgeree-recipe/index.html

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Organic Blueberry Muffins

This is a quick and easy recipe to make. You can use fresh blueberries if they’re in season, but frozen work great too. Don’t thaw them, just fold in while frozen and they work perfectly. For best results use organic, non-GMO ingredients and enjoy!

FOR MUFFINS

1 3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup organic sugar – I use evaporated cane juice or rapadura

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 large egg

1/2 cup whole milk

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

FOR TOPPING

1 teaspoon organic sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

EQUIPMENT:  a muffin pan (preferably nonstick) with 12 (1/3- to 1/2-cup) muffin cups

MAKE MUFFIN BATTER:

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter muffin pan or use muffin cup liners.  Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, then whisk in zest.

Whisk egg in another bowl, then whisk in milk and butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined (batter will be dense). Fold in blueberries. Divide batter among muffin cups.

MAKE TOPPING:

Stir together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over batter in cups.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 muffins

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By Stanley A. Fishman, Author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Sauerkraut is one of the oldest foods. It was used by the ancient Chinese, the Romans, the steppe nomads, and many others. “Sauerkraut” means sour cabbage. In its purest form, it consists of cabbage and salt that has been lacto-fermented. The fermentation process uses beneficial bacteria to transform the cabbage into a nutritional powerhouse that is an excellent source of Vitamin C, minerals, B vitamins, and many other nutrients. Sauerkraut is loaded with beneficial bacteria. These beneficial bacteria improve digestion, strengthen the immune system, and protect against many diseases. Alternative physicians in Germany use sauerkraut to treat many illnesses.

Making sauerkraut used to literally be a matter of life or death for many people in Europe and Asia. For most of these people, sauerkraut was the only source of vitamin C available during the long cold winters. If people do not get enough vitamin C, they will develop scurvy, a disease that first causes the teeth to fall out and which will eventually kill the victim.

Sauerkraut was traditionally eaten in small quantities, as part of a larger meal. I eat 3 to 4 tablespoons a day, as part of a larger meal. In fact, my body craves some sauerkraut with every meal. Traditional peoples usually had some form of fermented vegetable with every meal.

Traditional sauerkraut is a live food, whose nutritional value is dependent on the beneficial bacteria it should contain. Unfortunately, most of the “sauerkraut” found in the supermarket is a dead food, where the beneficial bacteria have been killed by vinegar and other ingredients. This allows the “sauerkraut” to stay on the shelves indefinitely, but I see little point in eating it. There are some brands of sauerkraut that can be found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. These brands have some live cultures, which is why they must be refrigerated. You can also order traditionally made sauerkraut over the Internet, and some of it is very good, especially the sauerkraut made by Amish farmers. This sauerkraut tends to be very expensive, both in price and in shipping cost.

What sauerkraut do I recommend? Well, the best sauerkraut I ever had, by far, is the sauerkraut we make ourselves. I found that making sauerkraut is much simpler than I thought. I only know how to make sauerkraut using a Harsch Crock, which is a stoneware container that has been specifically designed for making sauerkraut. The crock is not cheap, but it should last a lifetime if you are careful with it. Harsch Crocks are widely available over the Internet and you can often find a deal.

Equipment

I recommend the following equipment for making sauerkraut:

•Harsch Crock, 7.5 liters

•Weight stones, (these come with the Harsch Crock)

•Stainless steel tongs

•Stainless steel potato masher

•Large stainless steel bowl

•Cabbage slicer, (you can use a food processor or anything that can shred cabbage)

Sauerkraut

If your Harsch Crock is a different size than 7.5 liters, adjust the amount the amount of cabbage and salt proportionately.

7 medium organic cabbages, about 12 pounds.

Approximately 5 tablespoons coarse grey French sea salt, (we use Celtic Sea Salt®)

1.Remove the core and outer leaves from the cabbage, and then wash well with filtered water, preferably reverse osmosis. Dry the cabbage. Save a few of the outer leaves.

2.Do the following steps, one cabbage at a time:

a. Shred the cabbage into a large bowl. (We use a cabbage slicer, but I think most food processors could be used for this.)

b.Use tongs to pick up enough cabbage to form a layer in the bottom of the Harsch Crock. (I use three large tongs full, but you might need more, depending on the width of your crock.)

c.Sprinkle between ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt over the layer.

d.Use a potato masher to crush and compress the cabbage layer as much as you reasonably can. This is very important, as it is crucial for the cabbage to release some of its liquid. You usually won’t see much liquid in the first few layers, but don’t worry, the repeated compressing will eventually give you enough liquid.

e.When the layer is well compressed, repeat steps b through d until you have used all of the shredded cabbage in the bowl. When you have used all the shredded cabbage in the bowl, shred the next cabbage, and repeat steps b through d until all the cabbages have been shredded and compressed into the crock.

3.Place a couple of the outer leaves you saved on top of the compressed cabbage. Place the weight stones on the leaves and press down gently but firmly on the stones (we press with the tongs) until they are covered with liquid. Put the cover on the crock. Move the crock to a convenient place in your kitchen (not next to the oven or stove), where it can rest for three days. Fill the gutter at the top of the crock with filtered water (preferably reverse osmosis).

4.Let the crock rest in the kitchen for three days. Check each day to make sure the gutter is fairly full of water. Do not open the crock, not even once.

5.After three days, remove some of the water from the gutter, so the crock can be carried without spilling. Move the crock to a cool place. We use our garage, but a basement or root cellar would be even better. Fill the gutter with filtered water. Let the crock rest for 21 days. Do not open the crock before then, not even once. Check each day to make sure the water gutter is full. How much water you will need is totally unpredictable. Don’t panic if the water gutter is empty, just fill with filtered water. We never check more than once a day and every batch has been great.

6.After 21 days, the sauerkraut should be ready. Use tongs and a ladle to put the sauerkraut and its juice into Mason jars. It will keep in the refrigerator for many months. Then get started on the next batch.

Now you have my secret recipe for sauerkraut. It gets much easier each time we make it. Making sauerkraut is a job for at least two people, but the rewards are great.

Stanley kindly sent us some of his Sauerkraut last month and it was the best we’ve ever tasted. So good we bought a crock (see a great resource on the links page) and have made our own. We can’t wait until it’s ready! Stanley’s amazing cookbook, Tender Grassfed Meat is available at Amazon, link below.

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Now that it’s cold and rainy – it’s soup season.  We make a lot of broth, both chicken and beef and it’s nice to use them in other soups too.  This is a great one. It’s my own personal mix of an Indian style and a Lebanese style red lentil soup.

As usual, things always taste better if they’re fresh and organic.

Ingredients:

     6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferable organic & homemade

     2 ½ cups organic red lentils

     3 tablespoons organic olive oil

     1 tablespoon minced organic garlic, about 3 cloves

     1 large organic onion, chopped

     1 tablespoon ground cumin

     1 teaspoon turmeric powder

     1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

     1/2 teaspoon celtic or sea salt, or to taste

     1 or 2 bunches organic spinach, washed and dried

     2 medium young organic potatoes, white or red, cubed

     1/2 cup chopped cilantro

     1 lemon cut into 6-8 wedges

Directions:

Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil, over medium heat, until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Add lentils, broth & spices.  Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes.  If the soup is too thick you can add 1 – 2 cups of water.

Add potatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes or so until the lentils and potatoes are getting tender. Add spinach and let simmer another 10-15 minutes. 

Just before serving add chopped cilantro and a wedge of lemon. People can add a squeeze to their bowl, as desired. You can also add a spoonful of plain yogurt on top, just before serving.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Serve with homemade naan or any type of artesian, whole grain bread.

Read more great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/01/pennywise-platter-thursday-12110.html

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Tapioca Pudding

As three of our four chickens are now laying eggs, I was looking around for some egg recipes and remembered how much my husband loves tapioca pudding. I had organic pearls in the cupboard so I decided to make pudding.  It’s easy to make pudding from scratch and so good!

Look at the instructions on the package of tapioca that you buy. Some small pearl tapioca requires overnight soaking in water. If your package has that requirement, reduce the milk in the recipe to 2 1/2 cups from 3 cups.

Ingredients

    * 1/2 cup organic small pearl tapioca (Do not use instant tapioca)

    * 3 cups whole real, raw milk

    * 1/4 teaspoon salt

    * 2 eggs, preferably organic and pasture – or backyard – raised

    * 1/2 cup of organic sugar or Rapadura sugar

    * 1/2 teaspoon of organic vanilla

    * 1/2 teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg

Directions:

1 –  Combine tapioca, milk, and salt in 1 1/2 quart pan on medium high heat. Stir until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered at the lowest possible heat, adding sugar gradually.

2 –  Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Mix in some of the hot tapioca very slowly to equalize the temperature of the two mixtures (to avoid curdling).

3 –  Return eggs to pan with tapioca. Slowly bring mixture barely to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and stir several minutes at a low simmer, stirring constantly until you get a nice thick pudding consistency. Cool 15 minutes. Add vanilla and nutmeg. You can spoon the pudding into individual serving bowls or into a covered casserole.  We like to chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving, but you can serve it either warm or chilled.

Serves 4-6.

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday Posts here:  http://www.cheeseslave.com/2010/01/06/real-food-wednesday-january-6-2010/