Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

I love vanilla extract and like to use organic, but it’s really expensive, so I decided to make my own.  It was surprisingly easy.  Split the bean and put them in a jar – I used a half-gallon mason jar but you could also use a quart – pour over the vodka and let it sit for around 2 month in your cupboard, shaking occasionally.

As I ended up making a half-gallon of extract, I bought a supply of 2 and 4 oz jars and made pretty labels so I could give them away as gifts. I think next time I’ll get some 8oz jars too.  When the extract was all decanted into the jars, I scraped the inside of the leftover beans and saved all those bits of vanilla in a little jar as Vanilla Paste. You can use that interchangeably with vanilla but you’ll get all the nice little bits, which is especially nice for ice cream. In the picture the jar on the left has the paste, and the left over beans and vanilla are in the jar on the right. I ran out of bottles.  Also I put one of the beans, or half a bean for the smaller bottles in with the vanilla. I think they look pretty and will keep the flavor up.

I bought my vanilla beans at https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/

I got ¼ of a pound, which they say gives you 30-35 beans for $32 dollars, which is a great price for organic vanilla beans. They were very fresh and now I have some left over for other recipes too.  Oh, and I bought my vodka at Trader Joe’s, their brand, a big bottle for $10.00. I would try to find organic vodka next time, but I couldn’t find any for this recipe. I just now found it on the web for $12 for a 750ml bottle, not bad! 

Considering that organic vanilla can run you from $6 – $12 dollars for a two ounce bottle, with this recipe you can make it yourself for around $1.30 per two ounce bottle. That’s a big difference.

Ingredients:

8 cups Vodka

24 vanilla beans

You can quarter this recipe and use a quart jar if you’d like, then you’d only need 6 vanilla beans.

Cut the vanilla beans, the long way, from the bottom (the top has a little stem) all the way up to the last inch and stop there. That way the bean is almost split into two but it stays intact at the stem.

Put the split beans into your jar, and cover with vodka.  You can push the bean down so they’re totally covered and then fill the jar almost to the top.  Put the lid on and put it into a dark cupboard.  You can shake it every few days or not. I shook mine just a few times over the eight weeks.  I also wrote the date on the top of the jar, on a sticky note, so I’d remember when it was eight weeks.

After the eight weeks is up, you can flavor it if you like.  You can use a little simple sugar syrup or a little dark rum, 1 tsp. per cup of vodka.  I used the rum.

I made the labels using Avery 2×4 inch labels and thought they came out really pretty. These will make great holiday gifts, plus we’ll have lots of vanilla for ourselves for a long while too.  Enjoy!

See  more great gift ideas at the Handmade Gift Carnival here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/11/handmade-gift-carnival.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/10/real-food-wednesday-101409.html

I found this recipe on the Sprout People website: http://www.sproutpeople.com  We used organic extra virgin coconut oil, for the oil, which worked great. You could also use butter.

We’ve bought some terrific sprout mixes from them, including Amber Waves of Grain (a mix that contains: wheat, barley, rye spelt, triticale, oats, kamut, sesame, millet, amaranth & quinoa) – which we used to make this bread. It’s a great recipe and was a big hit with the teenagers.  Our three loaves were gone in three days!

You can use any grain to sprout, the Amber Waves of Grain mix, Wheat, Rye, Kamut, Quinoa, Spelt, Triticale, etc.   Start sprouting your grain 2-3 days ahead so it’s ready for when you want to make your bread.  I started sprouting the grain Friday morning and we made the bread on Sunday. I also used all whole-wheat flour, that I ground from spring wheat, right before we made the bread. Oh, and I made it in my mixer, which worked great. We only did a few minutes of hand kneading when we put it out on the lightly floured surface.

Combine in a large bowl:

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 scant Tbs. active dry yeast

Allow the yeast to proof (bubble) for 5 minutes

Stir in:

½  cup extra virgin coconut oil

½  cup honey

1 tablespoon salt

2 Cups Sprouted Grains – we ground them up in the food processor – you can use them whole if you’d like too.

4 cups flour – any combination of wheat, rye and white you like

Mix well.

Cover and let this “sponge” sit 45-60 minutes.

Stir down and gradually add:

3-4 cups flour -any combination

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.

Place dough into a greased bowl – turn it over and around to coat the whole of the dough. Cover and let rise until doubled (60-90 minutes).

Knead dough down in the bowl, divide and shape into 2 – 3 oblong loaves. Place in well-greased loaf pans and cover.

Let rise 60 minutes or until almost doubled.

Bake at 375º for 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 – 3 loaves.  Enjoy!

Read more, wonderful Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/10/pennywise-platter-thursday-108.html

Read more, wonderful, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-fridays-october-2nd

We love Naan Bread and this is a very easy recipe.  We grind our own whole wheat flour and depending on my mood (and how much flour I have ground), I use all whole wheat or ½ whole wheat and ½ unbleached white flour. If you buy your whole wheat, I recommend organic whole wheat pastry flour as it’s lighter for baking. This recipe makes 8 big, or 16 small pieces of naan bread. If you don’t have three teenaged boys at home, like we do, feel free to cut the recipe in half. You can also take ½ of the dough and put it in the refrigerator, instead of letting it rise.  It will last up to a week and you can take the rest out, let it rise and bake another day.  You will be surprised at how easy these are to make.  You do need a pizza or hot stone.  We got one a few years ago for $10 and use it all the time. You can use them for breads, pizza, even to reheat any kind of bread.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups lukewarm water

2 tsp dry active yeast

6 cups organic whole wheat flour  – or ½ whole wheat, ½ unbleached white

1 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in water. Allow the yeast to sit in the warm water for around 5 minutes until it blooms (bubbles).

Add half the flour, a cup at a time, stirring until incorporated.

Sprinkle in the salt.

Add remaining flour a cup at a time.

Shape into a ball and let rise until double in size.

Pre-heat oven to 500 F

Divide dough into portion sizes.

Flatten each piece into an oval and let rest for 10 minutes.

Wet fingers (very liberally) and “dimple” surface. This will help to make the dough very thin.  After you dimple, just before you put it in the oven, you can sprinkle things on top.  We usually drip a bit of olive oil and then sprinkle some minced garlic or Celtic sea salt.  You could also use pepper, hot pepper, whatever you’d like.

Transfer onto a hot baking stone.

Bake for about 5 minutes or until top is golden and bottom is brown and crusty. Once they’re out of the oven you can spread a little butter on, just before you eat them.   Enjoy!

Read more, great, Real Food Wednesday posts here, http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/09/real-food-wednesday-93009.html

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here, http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/09/pennywise-platter-thursday-101.html

We drink raw milk, and we make fresh kefir with it too.  This summer I decided to make raw milk ice cream. It was delicious.  Note: I do use raw eggs in this recipe.  If you use raw eggs it’s at your own risk. I only use local organic eggs – soon to be from our own back yard chickens.  If you are not comfortable using raw eggs the recipe works well with pasteurized eggs, like eggbeaters, too. I’ve made it both ways.

If you want to read more about why we love real, raw milk, click here:  http://realmilk.com/

I’ve made many types of ice cream and with many recipes you need to make the mix and then chill it for a few hours or overnight.  This recipe is super easy because you just mix it and put it in your ice cream maker.

If you’ve never made your own ice cream it’s really worth the effort.  You can find many different machines, including an attachment for your Kitchen Aid mixer, that make great ice cream.

I got the original recipe in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream book and tweaked it a bit to make it my own.  This book and David Lebovitz’s Perfect Scoop are my two favorite Ice Cream recipe books.

In the picture, the ice cream was just done. We put it in the freezer for a few hours after and it firms up beautifully.  It makes enough to fill two (empty and cleaned for re-use) quart yogurt containers.

Ingredients:

2  large organic, free range eggs, or equivalent amount of eggbeaters (see note above)

3/4 cup  organic sugar

2 cups organic raw cream, heavy or whipping

1 cup organic raw milk

2 tsps. Vanilla extract

You can make it in a mixing bowl or with a stand mixer.  Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more.

Pour in the cream, milk and vanilla. Whisk to blend.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.  You can mix in anything you like towards the end of the freezing cycle.  Enjoy!

Read more Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-september-25th

This Spanish rice is great as side dish to any number of Mexican recipes.  I most often make it for ‘Burrito Night’.  I make rice, beans,  grass fed beef or organic chicken, guacamole, salad and shredded cheese and everyone takes what they like on either a tortilla (whole wheat, Ezekiel or organic white) or just served on a plate. Once I made it myself, I’d never use a boxed Spanish rice again, and it’s so easy.  It’s a great crown pleaser!

Ingredients:

    * 2 quart sauce pan or 12 inch frying pan, with tight fitting lid

    * 2 cups organic long grain brown or white rice

    * 1/4 cup organic extra virgin coconut oil

    * 1 yellow onion cut into 1-inch chunks

    * 1 bell pepper, any color, cut into 1 inch pieces

    * 3 cloves of garlic, minced

    * 15 oz. can organic tomato puree, sauce or chopped tomatoes – your choice

    * 2 cups of homemade/ organic chicken or vegetable broth.

Directions:

Add the oil to the pan and put heat on to medium high. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté 5 – 10 minutes.

Then add the rice and sauté until golden brown approximately another 5 – 10  minutes.

The important thing is to make sure the rice is toasted to a nice golden brown.

Using a garlic press, add the minced fresh garlic by squeezing the press and cutting off the garlic as it comes out, with a knife.

Continue to sauté for an additional 3 minutes. You will notice a wonderful garlic aroma.

Add the tomato puree and chicken broth. Stir and turn heat up to high. Bring to a full boil while stirring. Continue to boil for 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes for white rice and 40-50 for brown rice.  I do sometimes stir once or twice during cooking.  Serves 6-8.

Read more great Real Food Wednesday posts here, http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/09/real-food-wednesday-91609-add-your-real-food-tips-or-recipes.html

Dr. Christopher’s Plague Tonic

The kids are going back to school next week and that usually starts the cold and flu season around here.  We made this a few years ago and for those simple colds/flu’s that don’t need a trip to the Doctors office, it works wonders.  Our family doctor even gave it the thumbs up.  At the first sign of a cold we take this and lots of vitamin C too.

Here’s the recipe:

Take equal amounts –  everything organic if possible –

about one handful or a third of a cup of each:

Coarsely chopped onion 

Garlic

Ginger   

Hot Peppers – I like to take the seeds out first

Horseradish root – the real stuff, not the jarred kind.

Chop coarsely and put into a blender. Add enough Organic Apple

Cider Vinegar to cover and process. Blend fairly well. It doesn’t have to be

smooth. Pour in a glass jar. Put wax paper under the lid, so no metal can come

into contact with mixture, or use a plastic mason jar lid. After it settles down, there should be about 3/4 inch of vinegar covering the pulp. Sit in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks.

Take 1 – 3 tablespoons per day. If you cannot take that much, start with less and work up to it. The more you take, the more you will build up your hot tolerance.

You can use it daily, up to two tablespoons a day as an immune booster or take more if you’re not feeling well.

Disclaimer: Here at Moms for safe food, we’re moms, not health professionals. We believe in everyone making and being responsible for their own lifestyle choices by doing research and consulting with your family and other trusted advisors. And, if it is a medical opinion you seek, call your doctor.

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday posts here, http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/09/real-food-wednesday-9209.html

We usually eat steel cut oats for breakfast, soaked overnight with water, a little kefir and raisins but when we went to Portland on vacation we tried something different.  We decided to buy some granola and a local health food store. They had a lot of different varieties, but it was so hard to find one without canola oil.  We don’t use canola oil anymore, partly because most of it’s genetically modified and secondly because it’s not good for you.  See this article by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD, http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/conola.html

So we ended up buying an organic oil free variety, we also bought shredded coconut, fresh cherries and blueberries and a wonderful plain, whole milk, grass fed yogurt we’d never tried before from Traders Point Creamery – It was delicious! –  link below.

http://www.tpforganics.com/content/view/19/89/

We had the best breakfast each morning our trip!  The cherries and blueberries were organic, and just picked and with the granola, coconut and yogurt it kept us going all day.  I decided to make a treat for the family and make some of our own, adapting a recipe from The Coconut Oil Miracle by Dr. Bruce Fife – link below.

Homemade Granola Recipe

6 cups organic rolled oats

2 tsps. Cinnamon

4 cups shredded, unsweetened organic coconut

3 cups mixed organic seeds and nuts, whole or chopped (I used whole almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, walnuts)

1 cup organic, extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup organic maple syrup or you could use honey

1 tlb. vanilla extract

1 cup organic raisins

In a large bowl mix together oats, cinnamon, coconut, nuts and seeds. 

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until just melted (or in the microwave for 30 seconds).

Mix coconut oil with maple syrup and vanilla and pour over the oat/nut mixture and stir until mixed.

Pour into two 9×13” baking dishes and bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until oats are golden brown.

Stir occasionally while cooking for even browning.  Remove from oven and cool.  Add raisins.  Store in an airtight container.  Enjoy with yogurt, kefir, or milk and fresh fruit!  It would also be delicious sprinkled over vanilla ice cream.

Read more great Real Food Wednesday posts here, http://www.cheeseslave.com/2009/08/26/real-food-wednesday-august-26-2009/

This is one of our favorite summer salads. We always loosely follow the recipe depending on what we have on hand. In the one pictured, everything was from our garden except the red onion. I used zucchini, cucumber, three kinds of tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno and green pepper.  Yum!  It’s even better the next day.

Serve with a grilled burger or chicken. You can prepare this recipe up to two days in advance. The longer the vegetables marinate, the more flavor they acquire. Remove the seeds from the pepper if you prefer mild heat.

4 cups halved red, yellow, or orange cherry tomatoes  (use tomatoes and whatever fresh summer veggies  you have on hand – see above)

¼  cup thinly sliced green onions or chopped red onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

¼  cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon organic brown sugar, or honey.

¼ cup virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½  teaspoon salt

½  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir until blended. Pour vinegar mixture over tomato mixture, tossing to coat. Let marinate, in or out of the refrigerator, at least 1 hour.

Yield:  8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Find more great recipes here, www.LifeasMOM.com

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here, http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-fridays-july-31st

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