Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

This is my last post of 2009. I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy New Year.

We’ve had a cold going around the family. I think (fingers crossed) that we’re finally all doing better. We had tremendous success using some of the suggestions Stanley made in his wonderful post on Fighting the Flu with Real Food. I’ll re-link to it below.  Both my husband and I had bad coughs, and the recipe for the raw honey-organic turmeric mixture was amazing in how fast it cleared the cough.  https://www.momsforsafefood.org/Blog/Entries/2009/10/16_Entry_1.html

I’ve been going to a yearly cookie exchange for a number of years now. It’s hosted by a good friends mother and it’s a great group of women.  I made S’more Cookie bars this year.  I don’t remember where I got the original recipe but I found the greatest Organic Marshmallow fluff. I’ll post a link below.  This was a BIG hit with the kids.

S’More Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

1/2 cup organic sugar

1 large egg, preferable free-range and organic

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup organic graham cracker crumbs*

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 king-sized organic milk chocolate bars

1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized chocolate bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick.

Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool completely before cutting into bars

Makes 16 cookie bars.

*Note: 3/4 cup crumbs is approx 7 full-sized graham cracker sheets, whizzed in the food processor until fine.

It’s birthday month here. Three of our four kids had their birthdays last week and the fourth is in a few weeks.  I let everyone pick what kind of cupcakes they’d like and bake them from scratch.

These were the best, so I’m sharing the recipes. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes, Makes 12:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened organic cocoa powder

3/4 cup organic all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon organic baking powder

1/4 teaspoon celtic salt or sea salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted organic butter, room temperature

1 cup organic sugar

3 large organic, free-range eggs

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole milk yogurt, or Greek yogurt or sour cream

Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with yogurt and beginning and ending with flour.

3. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25

minutes.

4. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with Mocha Icing using a table

knife or small offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

Mocha Frosting, this recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups.  Perfect for 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup organic powered sugar

2 tbs. organic cocoa power

½ cup organic butter

1/8 tsp Celtic or sea salt

3 tbs. hot, strong, organic coffee

1 tsp. organic vanilla extract

Directions:

Sift sugar and cocoa power together.

Beat butter until soft. Add the sugar gradually. Mix until creamy.

Add salt and coffee and mix for another two minutes.

When the frosting is cool add the vanilla, mix well and spread. 

Read more great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-december-18th/

By Stanley A. Fishman, Author of Tender Grassfed Meat

This is the best duck recipe I know. This recipe came about as a result of my quest to enjoy the famous Chinese dish known as Peking Duck. Every restaurant version I had was disappointing, so I decided I would have to make it myself. The key to a great Peking Duck was supposed to be a very crisp skin over moist, tender meat. All the recipes contained methods for achieving crisp duck skin. The classic way of doing this was to cut a small hole in the skin, insert a straw into the hole and blow through the straw until the air caused the skin to separate from the meat, which was supposed to dry the skin. This did not appeal to me. Other recipes suggested using a bicycle pump to inflate the skin. I did not find that very appetizing either. After the skin was inflated, the duck would be painted with a marinade, then hung up to dry in a cold, drafty place. I did not have a cold drafty place. Some recipes suggested hanging the duck in front of a powerful fan (which could result in droplets of marinade being sprayed all over the room). One even suggested using a hair dryer. I didn’t like any of these methods either.

Finally, I ordered duck at a Vietnamese restaurant. The skin was crisp and delicious. I asked the cook what she did to get the skin so crisp, and she pointed to the refrigerator (her English wasn’t very good).

I finally figured out that it was possible to dry the duck skin by placing it in the refrigerator. This I could do.

Another problem I had was with the marinades used for Peking Duck. All of them were loaded with sugar and soy, two substances I avoid eating. After much experimentation, I finally hit upon the perfect combination: Vietnamese refrigerator drying; Chinese roasting techniques; and Polish flavorings. This results in a duck that is truly heavenly.

Serves 4 to 6

1 (4 to 6 pound) Long Island Duckling. (This is the most common type of duck sold in the United States. It has a lot of fat, which is good. This recipe will not work with other kinds of duck.)

2 teaspoons coarse unrefined sea salt

1 teaspoon organic granulated garlic powder

1 teaspoon organic dried marjoram

1 organic apple, peeled and coarsely chopped into small pieces

1.2 or 3 days before you plan to cook the duck, prepare it for drying. Remove everything that is inside the cavity of the duck, including any large pieces of fat. Rinse the duck inside and out with filtered water, and dry thoroughly. Place the duck on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Place the uncovered duck on a refrigerator shelf (not the meat compartment), and let dry for 2 or 3 days.

2.Put one rack in your oven in the second lowest position. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the duck from the refrigerator. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan that is at least 2 inches deep. The duck will release a lot of fat, so it is important that the roasting pan is deep enough to avoid any spillage.

3.Mix the salt, garlic, and marjoram together, and rub this mixture all over the duck inside and out. Stuff the duck with the apple pieces. When the oven is preheated, place the duck in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. This may generate a lot of smoke, so it is best to turn the fan on.

4.Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven, being aware that there will be a lot of hot fat in the pan. Carefully remove the duck from the rack and put it on a plate. Remove the rack from the pan. Carefully pour the duck fat into a large heatproof bowl. Return the rack to the pan and place the duck on the rack. Pierce the skin of the duck all over with a large fork.

1. 5.Return the duck to the oven, and turn the heat down to 325 degrees. Cook for 1 hour. Remove the duck from the oven and serve.

Read more great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/12/2538.html

Read more great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/12/real-food-wednesday-121609.html

Stan is the author of one of my favorite cookbooks, Tender Grassfed Meat. I highly recommend it. You can buy it below.  Mom

Peanut Butter Cups

12 mini cupcake liners – make sure to use mini’s

¾ cup organic semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup creamy organic peanut butter + 2 generous T to add to the melted chocolate

¼ cup organic powdered sugar

½ tsp. organic vanilla extract

Pinch fine sea salt or Celtic salt – if your PB is already salted, it’s optional to add more

One of our kids gave me ‘The Chocolate Factory’ a few years ago for Christmas. He likes chocolate. LOL So occasionally, especially around the holidays I make treats. This was a great recipe and a close, but much healthier version of the store bought Peanut Butter cup.  Aren’t they pretty? They’re delicious too!

Using a small double boiler (or The Chocolate Factory melting pot) melt the chocolate.

(You can also melt the chips in your microwave, keeping a close eye on them and stirring often to make sure they don’t burn. It should take between 1-2 minutes.) If you can’t find organic chocolate chips, find some without soy lecithin (Trader Joe’s has some) as all non-organic soy lecithin is genetically modified.

Once the chocolate is melted, add the 2 generous T of peanut butter and stir to incorporate.

Give it about 5 minutes to cool down a bit, it’s easier to spread around when not lava-hot.

Place a heaping teaspoon of melted chocolate in each mini cupcake liner and spread it all over the place with the back of a spoon. Repeat with all 12 liners.

Place the chocolate-covered liners onto a plate, into your fridge, to let it all harden.

Meanwhile, stir together peanut butter, vanilla, salt, and sugar. If your peanut butter is anything like mine, it should form a sort of paste that you can start kneading to make sure all gets incorporated really well.

The chocolate should be hard by now, so divide peanut butter paste into all 12 liners, pressing down gently to make sure the paste goes everywhere.

Top with heaping teaspoon of chocolate [melt it again if needed], spreading carefully so that none of the PB paste can be seen.

Chill in fridge for at least one hour, until ready to devour. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 “small” cups

Read more great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/12/pennywise-platter-thursday-1210.html

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday Posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/12/real-food-wednesday-12909.html

Every November I make Pumpkin pies. Usually a lot of them, as we have friends who love them. We buy organic pumpkin close to Halloween, don’t carve them and then roast them right before Thanksgiving.

To roast them, I cut them in half and scoop out the seeds – we make toasted pumpkin seeds with those – then I quarter the pumpkin. Put the pumpkin quarters on a baking sheet and roast at 350º for around an hour until nice and fork tender. It will vary depending on how big the pumpkins are.

Once they’re roasted, let them cool, then scoop them out of the skin and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. You can refrigerate the puree for up to three days or freeze it. We use the puree for pies mostly, but also pumpkin bars, cookies and muffins on occasion.  Using fresh pumpkin is less expensive and much more delicious as well.

Here’s our favorite recipe. It makes two, 9-inch pies. Quite often I double it and make four.

Ingredients:

3 cups pumpkin puree – we use fresh but you can of course, used canned pumpkin (not pie filling).

¾ cup Honey

2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie seasoning

1 tsp. salt

4 organic eggs

1 cup milk  – we use raw milk but you can use any kind, even rice or soymilk

2 pie shells – we usually use whole wheat

Mix ingredients in the order given.

Pour into pie shell and bake,

10 minutes at 450º

40 minutes at 350º, or until firm and set.

Let cool to room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  You can also wrapped the cooled pies well and freeze.  Enjoy!

Read more, great posts at Pennywise Platter Thurdays here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/12/pennywise-platter-thursday-123.html

Read more, great posts at Real Food Wednesday here: http://www.cheeseslave.com/2009/12/02/real-food-wednesday-december-2-2009/

We ordered some wonderful grass fed beef recently and one of the cuts we got were short ribs. They need to be cooked long and slow, and are best eaten the next day.  They’re SO good. Short ribs are an inexpensive cut of meat, we paid $3.00 a pound and four pounds made six servings. The meat is similar to brisket, but even better. 🙂  Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans and you have a delicious and comforting meal.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

These braised ribs are even better the next day–on their own or inthe delicious sandwich that follows.

Original Recipe by Tom Valenti, chef and co-owner, Ouest, New York City

SERVINGS: 4 SERVINGS, PLUS LEFTOVERS

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 pounds grass fed meaty beef short ribs on the bone

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 organic celery ribs, coarsely chopped

1 organic carrot, coarsely chopped

1 large organic onion,coarsely chopped

1/2 cup organic tomato paste

5 thyme sprigs

3 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 head of garlic, halved crosswise

1 quart organic chicken stock, homemade is preferable

2 cups dry red wine

1/3 cup white vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat 2

tablespoons of the olive oil in a large

enameled cast-iron casserole. Season

the ribs with salt and pepper. Add half

of the short ribs to the casserole and

cook over moderately high heat until

browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer the

ribs to a plate. Repeat with the

remaining oil and ribs.

1.

Add the celery, carrot and onion to the

casserole and cook over moderate

heat until softened, about 7 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook,

stirring, until glossy, about 2 minutes.

Add the thyme sprigs, anchovies, bay

leaf and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2

minutes. Add the stock, wine and

vinegar and bring to a boil. Return the

short ribs to the casserole, then cover

them and braise in the oven until the

meat is very tender, about 3 hours.

2.

Transfer the ribs to a platter. Strain the

braising liquid, pressing hard on the

solids; skim the fat. Season with salt

and pepper. Serve half of the ribs with

some of the sauce. Reserve the rest in

the remaining sauce for sandwiches.

The short ribs can be refrigerated in their

sauce for 3 days.

from: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/red-wine-braised-short-ribs

Read more great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-november-20th

We make hummus a lot, and with teenagers in the house, it goes fast!

This is our basic recipe and we play with it a lot. You can make it to taste and experiment with different herbs. We’ve made parsley hummus, chive hummus, spinach hummus – we always use garlic, and sometimes scallions.

Recently we’ve tried taking the skins off of the chickpeas, after they’re cooked. This is time consuming but makes a wonderfully smooth hummus. If you have time, it’s worth the effort. You can also used canned Organic chickpeas, but chickpeas are so easy to cook and it’s less expensive too.

Basic Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups dried chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)

2 tablespoons whey or lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

2-3 heaping tablespoons tahini ( sesame seed paste)

1/4 to 1/2 cup of lemon juice – we usually use the juice of one large lemon

1/4 to 1/2 cup cup olive oil

1 teaspoon celtic or sea salt

Directions:

1. 1.Cover chick peas with warm water. Stir in lemon juice or whey, cover and let sit overnight on your stove.
2. 2.If  you want to take the skins off, drain, rinse and pick off skins. Otherwise drain, add fresh water to cover and bring to a boil simmer for at least 2 hours and up to 6, until the chickpeas are very tender.  Drain – and save about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid for the hummus.
3. 3.Put the garlic and any herbs/spinach you are using into a food processor or blender and blend until  minced fine.
4. 4.Once the garlic/herbs are processed add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Process and blend. If you need more liquid you can use the reserved cooking water or more olive oil. Taste.
5. 5.You can add more lemon juice, salt or olive oil. If you like it spicy you can add some cayenne pepper or black pepper. We’ve been making hummus for years and we still vary to taste. You can serve it with crackers, bread, pita bread or celery. Enjoy!

Curried, Orange Ginger Chicken

This was the first time I cut a chicken down like this and it wasn’t too hard. Prep time was only about 15 minutes and the chicken is cooked in 35-40 minutes. It was really delicious – the sauce makes the dish.  I only had blood oranges, which is why they look so dark in the picture – but they worked. We served it with a fresh green salad and baked sweet potatoes.

Whole chickens are much less expensive then buying individual parts, and if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby they have very reasonably priced organic chicken.

Ingredients

3-1/2 pounds Whole Organic, Free Range Chicken

6 slices Fresh Ginger

2 teaspoons Kosher Or Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoons Ginger Powder

1 teaspoon Curry Powder

1/2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Organic Coconut Oil

1/4 cups White Wine

1 whole Orange, Cut Into 4 Sections

Preparation Instructions

Preheat your oven to 475F.

1. Turn the chicken breast-side down. Using a pair of sharp kitchen shears, begin cutting 3/4″ to the right side of the backbone and cut all the way to the other end. Repeat with the left side.

Discard the backbone (or save for stock). Lay the chicken flat on the cutting board, skin side up. Use the palm of your hands to press down on the breast to break the rib bones and flatten. Pat the chicken on both sides very dry. Season the chicken on both sides with salt, ginger powder, curry powder and pepper.

2. Heat a large oven-safe frying pan (I prefer cast-iron) large enough to fit the chicken over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Carefully lay the chicken skin side down in the pan. Scatter the ginger and oranges around the bird. Let cook for 2 minutes. Turn off stove, place the entire pan into the oven for 10 minutes.

3. After 10 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully turn the bird over so it is skin side up. The skin should be browned. Return pan to the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast not touching bone is 165F. Remove the bird from the pan and tent with tin foil to keep warm.

4. Keep the orange wedges. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the pan drippings from the pan. Place the pan onto your stove top and turn the heat to medium-low. Pour in the white wine and scrape the surface of the pan to loosen any bits. Squeeze 2 of the roasted orange wedges into the pan and reduce sauce by half. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here, http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/11/pennywise-platter-thursday-1112.html

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here, http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-november-6th/

Soaked Steel-Cut Oats

With rare exception, this is our breakfast everyday.  One of our boys is eating it too!   We set up the oats to soak in the evening and then the cereal takes only about 10 minutes to cook in the morning.  We vary our additions: raisins, prunes, mulberries, walnuts, fresh fruit – take your pick.

Ingredients:

½ cup Organic Steel-Cut Oats

1 cup water

2 tablespoons organic, preferably homemade kefir  (you can also use whey, buttermilk, yogurt or lemon juice)

½ tsp. celtic sea salt

½ cup water

¼ cup dried fruit, chopped if larger then raisins

1 tablespoon Organic Coconut Oil

¼ cup Kefir, Buttermilk or Yogurt

The evening before, put the first three ingredients in a small pot, stir, cover and leave sitting until the next morning.

In the morning add the salt, dried fruit, and ½ cup water.

If you like your oatmeal creamy, add the salt after cooking.

Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until it’s gently boiling, then cook for five minutes more.  If we’re not going to eat it right away we turn the heat to low and let it sit covered, until we’re ready.  Just before serving stir in 1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil and ¼ cup kefir.  You can add nuts, more dried fruit, sprouted flax – anything else you like as an add in – and enjoy!

Serves 2

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/10/pennywise-platter-thursday-1029.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/10/real-food-wednesday-blog-carnival-for-102809.html