food-a-file

Baked: Sweet Grain-Free Acorn Squash Muffins

2011-11-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

It is essential for me that when someone tries something I make, they simply say, "This is good." I don't want them to say, "This is good...considering it's [grain-free] [healthy] [made with liver] [etc.]." So I'm excited to be experimenting with grain-free treats that are simply yummy ~ not conditionally yummy. ;-) It's also important to me not to use specialty ingredients. Real, old-fashioned ingredients that are no longer generally carried at a regular grocery, such as soup bones and liver from grass-fed animals ~ yes; fancy "gluten-free flour" ~ no.

I've been using this grain-free muffin recipe for years now. And I've honed custards (a mix of egg with liquid, such as cream or milk, soup, pureed veggie or fruit, etc.: looks like a post I need to create!) ~ both sweet and savory ~ to a perfection. So now I'm working with this concept: of eggs with different thickenings, essentially, to come up with all kinds of (mildly) sweet, grain-free baked deliciousness. My way of cooking, mind you, is largely "a little of this, a little of that;" I only use rough measurements. And I encourage you to try this method in your own kitchen as much as you dare. It takes practice and a bit of adventure. But if you start with quality ingredients, even if it's not contest-worthy, it'll most likely still taste good. ;-)

So here's a rough recipe I created this morning that turned out yummy. Especially successful because the toddler asked for seconds and thirds! I hope I have the time to share more of these recipes soon.

Sweet Grain-Free Acorn Squash Muffins

makes 9 small muffins

Preheat oven to 375.

3 eggs ~ from a local farm you know and trust

about 1/3 cup leftover baked acorn squash (butternut or pumpkin would work well, too)

1/4 cup flax seeds, ground in a seed/coffee grinder

1/4 tsp organic butter, melted

3-4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped fine (or chopped in a food processor)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Extra butter to grease the muffin cups.

Blend all ingredients. I use a hand-held mixer. Pour into well-greased muffin cups. Bake until firm and brown ~ no longer than 30 minutes; probably closer to 20.

These muffins are so moist and satisfying! My 3 year old daughter ate three at one sitting! That's a record-breaker. The flax helps them to stay together and have body, while not being too "flaxy" (read: "crunchy-granola 'healthy'"). And the dates add just enough sweet without creating a sugar high and subsequent crash! These muffins stand on their own, but you know I won't flinch if you melt some butter or cream cheese on top. And I bet a drizzle of raw local honey would be divine!

Involve your children in the process! Kids love to help if we'll let them. And helping ensures they'll like the end product more because they can take pride in it. It might take a few more minutes, and some food might end up on the counter or on the floor. However, an interest in cooking that starts early is a life-skill that is worth the investment. Anjali helped me make these by pouring in the dry ingredients after I measured them. She also quality-checked the dates. ;-)

fermented: Autumn Harvest Fruit Scrap Vinegar ~ with grapes, apples, blackberries, and pears!

2011-10-16T15:23:00.001-07:00

oh! The kitchen is alive and vibrating with bounty at harvest time! I feel so fortunate to have arrived in Oregon at this time of year. As soon as we plopped the moving boxes in the middle of the room and assembled the bed, the pots and crocks and kettles have been a-bubbling and brewing ever since. Abundance. Vitality found at the end of a wooden spatula shared with friends.

I started a post weeks ago which attempted to quickly run through all the fermented preservation I've been up to, but guess what? I'm too busy preserving! :-) Many are clearly experiments. A few are clearly delicious. That brings me to quite possibly my favorite ferment, besides just good ol' plain ol' cabbage sauerkraut: fruit scrap vinegar. With Mother Nature, truly there is no "waste." That's what I love about making vinegar from fruit scraps: the parts that would usually get tossed to the compost pile have one more step of utility to us first. I have realized this is my passion ~ making useful beautiful things out of stuff that most people in our culture nowadays consider "waste." I make clothing and other useful items from second hand fabric (if only I could unearth the machine from the boxes!), make broth from onion peels, carrot stubs, etc., and bones (which I by no means consider scrap, but instead highly valuable, however most Americans do consider these rubbish). And vinegar from fruit scraps! Ding ding ding! I win!

Ha ha. Well, it's obvious I'm passionate. ;-)

I'm thrilled to be transplanted from the city to the country. And thrilled that we have overflowing fruits for the taking right here on the rental property. This vinegar exemplifies that sweet harvest with apple, pear, blackberry and concord grape! If I had thought to add wild rose hip (oo! that's an idea!), it would almost be showing off. Though I have made luscious fruit scrap vinegars in the past ~ Rainier cherry, and ripest Kashiwase Farm nectarine from Bay Area farmers' markets come to mind, this is the most beautiful fruit scrap vinegar I may ever assemble. I mean. Just look at it.

sweet and ripe apple, pear, blackberry, and concord grape fruit scrap vinegar peeks out from its bonnet.

This is a gallon jar, by the way.

I got the idea originally from everyone's favorite Fermentation Guru-Nextdoor, Sandor Katz (featured prominently to the right), in his must-have Wild Fermentation, with the ratio for added sugar to water being 1/4 cup sugar to 1 quart water. In the past I have tried honey, and Sucanat, and probably organic white sugar. Right now I'm using some organic palm sugar that I hoarded away years ago and have since never touched. One of the things I appreciate about Sandor and his truth of fermentation is ~ use what you have, and what motivates you. The "recipes" are mostly just guidelines; you can use your imagination and what's around you to fill in the rest.

Fruit Scrap Vinegar

~Pile the fruit scraps in a clean glass vessel (I give it a good scrubbing and then fill it with boiling water beforehand, which I pour out after a few minutes).

~Fill up the empty space with the sugar water.

~Cover with a clean towel or napkin secured with a rubberband to keep the flies away.

~Let sit until the water is sufficiently cloudy ~ a week or more.

~Then strain out the solids for the compost, and pour the liquid back into the well-ventilated vessel and re-cover.

~Let it sit till the smell turns from sweet to vinegar-y.

A cloudy or fuzzy membrane might form over the top. That's ok; just use a spoon to pull it off.

This vinegar can be used in any way that you use other tasty vinegars ~ in cooking, on salads, and even just to drink, like a tasty kombucha. Yum!

Good News: Citizens Take Food Sovereignty into Their Own Hands

2011-10-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

Haha! I've had that gloomy post at the top of this page long enough. I strongly believe in focusing on what you want instead of on what you don't want.

Cheers to folks standing up for their freedom to choose the foods they want to nourish their bodies, and to farmers standing up to sell wholesome food to folks who want to buy it!

And this is one city of a few US cities who have taken this step. Exciting!

Here's the link about Santa Cruz's Food Freedom Resolution.

Raw Milk: Under Militant Attack by US Government

2011-08-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Uggh. I should've written about this weeks ago, but. If you want to know what really gets my blood boiling ~ it's this and I just didn't want to face it. Many armed SWAT-style raids on small, honest, family-owned farms and businesses selling clean, nutritious raw milk to people who go out of their way to get it and pay top dollar for it. On a planet where many people every day die from lack of access to food, in a country where millions are ill and dying for lack of proper nutrition, our government is pouring out gallons and gallons of uncontaminated, healing, nurturing, life-supporting raw milk. Of all things sick and twisted about The System today, this ~ that is happening much more than you'd think ~ is huge and criminal.

Get in touch with your food supply. Know the people who raise your food, support them, and, even better, raise some of your own food. We can't keep leaving our nourishment up to big businesses (including the government); it's killing us.

This quote was left as a comment after a YouTube video linked below and it rings true with me, too.

"If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as a sorry state as the souls who live under tyranny."
— Thomas Jefferson

Here's a press release about the most recent raid on a food buying club in LA, called Rawesome.

And here is a collection of video footage from the raid, and then from the protest following it. I like one of the signs a protester held, saying something like, "Raid Crack Houses, not Food Buying Clubs."

Then finally, and most importantly, here's a link to the movie, called Farmageddon, which tells the story of so many small farms and farm families around the country who are going through the exact same thing. If you can watch the trailer and not get your feathers ruffled, you probably came to this blog by accident. ;-) Find a way to see it. I'll let you borrow my copy of the DVD when it's available for purchase.

If you don't want to eat real food, keep eating the packaged garbage sold to you by advertisements on TV. But please let me and my family have the right to choose to eat real, wholesome food from the earth, the way Nature intended it.

Food Sovereignty!

To help, Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund is a great organization.

Raw Milk: Safe Even According to Government Data

2011-08-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Though we know better than to rely on the research the US government chooses to publicize, now even government data shows that raw milk from healthy cows grazed on grass is much safer than many other foods available in grocery stores. This also proves that the FDA has an agenda other than public health behind their overt opposition to raw milk. Here's an article about it, and an extensive explanation of the research, by the author, Dr. Ted Beals.

From Dr. Beals, "..we can show, using government figures, that you are about 35,000 times more likely to become ill from other foods than you are from raw milk."

The Next Level: Grain-Free Banana Bread French Toast over a Campfire

2011-08-01T13:55:00.001-07:00

Here I am humming with pleasure at one of my favorite things: cooking outside! We went for an overnight trip to Tahoe to feed our souls before embarking on a huge hunk of busy-ness. Always well worth it. And the food? Always well worth it. Food does taste better outside.

The aspects that a photo can't convey are the heavenly fresh scent of the redwoods and Douglas firs, the rushing of the alpine creek that was directly past this little campsite, the crackling of the fire with its occasional stinging smoke in my eyes as I shuffled the pans. The feeling of cool powdery dirt between my toes. The fact that it's perfectly acceptable to use the lid of a camping pot as a cutting board. The added smells and sounds... the breaking of usual rules. ;-)

We've been quite pleased with the previous Homey Grain-Free Banana Bread recipe. I happened to have most of a loaf to take with us on our camping trip. And then it dawned on me: French toast! Oh, man. We fried (pasture-raised, artificial nitrate- nitrite-free) bacon beforehand, and then fried the French toast in the leftover grease. You know it! I made the batter the usual way; I beat an egg for each person with a pinch of sea salt, and about a teaspoon of organic maple syrup. Then I let the pieces of banana bread ~ about the width of my thumb, 3/4 inch thick? ~ soak in there on both sides. The pan and grease were hot enough that when I put the first piece in, it sizzled on contact ~ how you want the pan when you fry pancakes. Most of the pieces browned and crisped nicely on both sides, one piece got a little more ... charred.. as the fire licked up a bit. All a part of the camping experience, right?! Then we added pats of yellow butter, a drizzle more of the maple syrup, and a generous handful of ripe local blueberries. With the foil of a perfectly crisp piece of bacon, this French toast was divine.

That piece in the middle is mighty dark, but I love the way the blueberries look with this plate. I can smell the campfire from here. :-)

You might be grimacing at such a full-on presentation of fat. There is a lot in this meal. But the beauty of eating nutrient-dense foods is that a little goes a long way. Unlike the fluffy, empty, saturatedly-sweet piles of French toast that most (I think I could actually say all) restaurants offer, after a couple small pieces of this French toast, even a hearty eater like my husband is satisfied and fueled for a long hike in the mountains ~ instead of for a several-hour belly-rub on the couch.

I need to add that a meal that I eat that includes good meat and good fat is never complete without a heaping spoonful of fermented veggie, and hopefully something else fresh ripe and raw. This is where my summer salsa comes in. One of my favorites of the summer season is cherry tomatoes. With ripe cherry tomatoes that burst with sweet sunshine flavor when I bite into them, I can easily pass by the price-inflated slicers (till the end of the season when they're priced to move). And cherry tomatoes are so easy to grow. Whereas slicers take some skill, cherry tomatoes overproduce with abandon. This season my favorite has been Sun Gold. I buy a pint every time I go to the co-op. My other favorite this year is cucumber. I am not finding the Armenian cucumber I loved from the Berkeley farmers' markets, but any that I've tried this season have been good! So I've been halving Sun Golds at every meal, tossing them with another fresh veggie, such as chunks of cucumber, and then I add a few scoops of fresh sauerkraut to the mix. A splash of olive oil sometimes, a sprinkle of sea salt. This is the ideal summer accompaniment to a hearty breakfast. I dare say, a must.

Salsa of Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and cabbage-n-cauliflower sauerkraut smiles in the redwood-filtered morning sunlight.

Baked: Homey Grain-Free Banana Bread

2011-07-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Back before I started keeping this blog, this is the way I kept track of recipes I wanted to remember:
I still like this tactile way of keeping up with cooking, like the way I like hand-written, poetic cookbooks, and don't really find a use for overly scientific, technical cooking directions; cooking is a wholly sensory experience. Writing it down gets even more of your body involved. I also like the cute pictures I always drew to illustrate. ;-)

When I smelled that unmistakable pungent fragrance of very ripe bananas from the bowl on the counter, I felt the rush of a longing: for old-fashioned, classic, comforting banana bread like I ate when I was a kid. I didn't want anything exotic or gourmet; just some moist banana bread with a generous layer of melty gooey cream cheese on top. Of course I would use nutrient-dense ingredients instead of the standard white flour and white sugar, but I wanted my rendition to be as reminiscent as possible to the one I ate on a sunny summer afternoon, spread out on the back porch of Mom's kitchen when I was a kid.

My taste for sweet is so sensitive these days that if you are used to eating Standard American sweetened foods, this might not do it for you. But for me and my family, it was perfect. Moist and just juicy enough, with a delicate texture when warm, and the twang of ripe banana-meets-nutmeg. The thing I also like about this wholesome version is that the egg and butter balance out the sweet-sweet banana so that you (and your children!) don't get the sugar spike and subsequent hangover of a usual sweet treat.

For bioavailability, I soaked the organic almonds overnight beforehand by covering with filtered water with a tablespoon of salt. Then I ground them in a few batches in the spice grinder. There were still some big chunks, but mostly a fine meal.

Homey Grain-Free Banana Bread

preheat oven to 350 and butter a breadloaf baking dish.

2 cups soaked but not toasted almond meal

1/2 cup coconut flakes

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

3 pastured eggs from a farm you trust

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup Sucanat/Rapadura

3 overripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix the first group of ingredients thoroughly. Beat the eggs and mix in the vanilla and Sucanat till combined. Then add the dry to the wet and mix. While stirring, pour the butter in till it's all incorporated. Bake until the center is firm. The outside will get very brown. Let sit for a few minutes before slicing and eat while still warm ~ or toasted ~ with a nice slab of cream cheese on top.

This blog entry is a participant in Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday!

Toddler Favorites: Popsicles!

2011-07-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

you can't see as well what she's eating in this photo, but I thought it was cute anyway.

It is HOT here in Sacramento! The only way to get any nourishment into a tiny tummy (or a grown-up one, for that matter!) is to make sure it's something COLD!

The popsicles I've been making are essentially a frozen smoothie. They are so easy, and ~ as always ~ nutrient-dense. A treat for the whole body that mom can feel good about, even if she ends up serving the whole batch in one day. ;-)

a banana popsicle that is not crayola yellow?!

my daughter still loves it.

This is the second batch that I have made with a very jury-rigged popsicle "mold" and handles. I don't want to buy plastic, and I haven't felt the absolute necessity to invest in the stainless steel version. Laugh at its ghetto-fabulousness as I have (no, really ~ go ahead; I'll wait), but: it works for now.

I just:

-pour the blended smoothie into a parchment paper-lined baking dish

-place spoons in line for approximate sizing of pops

-place carefully (and as levelly as possible) in the freezer

-curse internally when all of the spoons shift as the mixture sloshes around and I have to re-place them, then

-wait a few hours.

-Take the whole thing out when properly frozen

-run the pan under warm water for a moment to get the paper away from the dish, and then

-slice with a big (non-oniony!) knife. (Run knife under warm water for extra help.)

-I then put the whole thing back in the freezer (after we help ourselves to a few) for later.

Here are two variations on the idea that have had rave results from child and adult alike.

Melon Monkey Popsicle

1/2 can whole fat coconut milk

3/4 an average-size ripe melon ~ I used Galia

1/2 a ripe banana

2 pastured egg yolks (from a farm you trust)

a pinch of sea salt

2 tbsp melted coconut oil (at these temps, I didn't even have to put it on the stove; it was liquid in the jar!)

Blend all ingredients except coconut oil in the blender. Right before you're done, add the oil while the blender is on. Pour into the popsicle mold of your choosing and freeze to perfection!

Note: I used a 9x13 dish for this one, then decided to use a smaller, square "brownie" pan for the next batch. The second round were thicker, but also, I didn't have quite as much "popsicle batter" to begin with.

Strawberry Cream Popsicle

1/2 can whole fat coconut milk

1/2 cup whole raw milk (from a farm you trust)

1/2 a pint of juicy ripe strawberries

a pinch of sea salt

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

2 tbsp melted grassfed butter

a drizzle (maybe a tsp) of local raw honey

a few more juicy ripe strawberries, chopped small

Blend all ingredients through sea salt, then add the melted fats and honey while the blender's running. Pour the mixture into your desired popsicle mold, and then sprinkle the chopped strawberries around. Freeze to perfection. Devour after playing on a hot day!

Cherry Season!

2011-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

How many minutes does it take Mommy and Anjali to finish their first pound of Brooks cherries at the beginning of the season? Umm.. How bout maybe a half hour? Our friend Clint brought us a couple pounds of cherries from his family's cherry farm in Orland, California, after their first day of farmers' market sales. Sweet!

Oh, so sweet!

Getting down to business with a package of cherries.

Cherry season comes but once a year, right?!

Using Up the CSA Veggies: Sunday Morning Frittata

2011-05-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

Frittatas are excellently versatile and hearty for any meal, and are easy to make. Their leftovers also make great cold or re-warmed snacks. I called this a "Sunday Morning Frittata" because it takes a bit of time to prep the veggies, and frittatas have a festive, "Sunday Brunch" kind of presentation. But of course you could prep the veggies and eggs the night before and quickly and easily make a frittata any morning of the week.

I've been making frittatas regularly with our CSA subscription to Riverdog Farm, as they can incorporate so many veggies with delicious results. Just chop up whatever veggies you want to use ~ onions or garlic always make a nice base, plus maybe a starchy vegetable, such as sweet potato, potato, or beet, and then a huge pile of greens ~ so good for you, and cook down to next-to-nothing, so they don't take up a lot of space. Plus eggs, maybe add a seasoning herb, and some cheese on top at the last minute for added flavor and satiety. Voila! A satisfying, rainbow-nutritious meal in a skillet!

Beet, Spring Onion, and Spinach Frittata

pastured lard and/or grassfed butter or ghee for the pan (be good to yourself; be generous with the fats!)

(I also added a spoonful of nitrate-free, pastured bacon grease for flavor)

3 medium-sized beets, sliced

3 egg-sized spring onions, without greens, sliced

a hefty bunch of spinach, chopped, and rinsed well

10 eggs

a generous sploosh of grassfed cream, or grassfed whole milk, or plain whole-milk yogurt

a teaspoon dried dill, or more of freshly snipped dill

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

yogurt cheese or goat cheese

In a medium-large cast iron skillet, I melted lard and butter on medium-low heat. I sauteed the beets and onions together until they were soft and the onions were sweeeet. I added the spinach and mixed and cooked till they were all wilted. While these were cooking, I mixed the eggs with about 1/4 cup of raw cream (yum!) and salt, pepper, and dill. When the veggies were ready, I positioned them evenly in the skillet, and poured the egg overtop. I turned the heat down to medium, and did nothing else till the egg was set but still runny on top. I turned the broiler on (and shut the bedroom door to prevent the smoke detector from coming on!), and then placed generous dollops of homemade yogurt cheese* all around. Popped it under the broiler for a few minutes until the top was set and browned. This does not take long!

I think frittata is perfect with a side salad and sauerkraut. I served what's left of the Salad Kraut.

*With the consistency of goat cheese, all it takes to make yogurt cheese is just pouring yogurt into a linen/cotton napkin, tying it up with a rubber band, and letting the whey drain into a bowl. I use the whey for fermenting projects ~ like apple butter! Drain for a few minutes, or even overnight, depending on your desired thickness.

Raw Milk Rally in DC

2011-05-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

This blog entry is a participant in Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays!

I milked this goat. And then DRANK the milk while it was still warm! I lived to tell about it!

A year long sting operation and ensuing legal battle surrounding an Amish farm's sales of raw milk to willing and eager customers has the raw milk community protesting.

An Amish family farm?? I mean, seriously. Doesn't our government have greater menaces to halt than that? Didn't those undercover operatives feel silly? Considering all the barely-foods and chemical conglomerates sold as food ~ and even subsidized by our tax dollars, wholesome fresh milk from healthy cows is a pet project for the FDA to pick on. Nobody's forcing anybody to buy the stuff, or selling it to people under the guise of something else ~ as plenty of legal products are! There is a risk in drinking raw milk. And I sure as hell would never drink the stuff sold as milk in American grocery stores unless it were pasteurized (and then I still wouldn't drink it). But wholesome (from a farm you know and trust) raw milk very rarely causes problems, while everyday foods like deli meat, salad greens, and pasteurized milk* DO. This is not about "foodies"** wanting their latest fad-fix, or even about nutrition, but grave and fundamental issues such as food freedom and food security.

Dear FDA official,

If you don't want to drink raw milk, don't buy it. And by all means if it's what you feel confident about, keep feeding your family that corn-and-soy-fed CAFO-raised swill that comes in the gallon jugs at the grocery ~ the lobby for which pads your wallet. But please let my family and other health-loving citizens buy fresh milk from farmers who care.

Sincerely,

Tiffanie

*I realize this is from a website that promotes raw milk, but I deeply trust we can look up their data and it would be accurate.

** Speaking of the word, "foodie," here is an excellent article by Eric Schlosser (of Fast Food Nation and Food, Inc.) on the subject.

Toddler Favorites: Lacto-fermented Apple Butter

2011-05-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

End of the season for cellar apples. That means it's time to make more apple butter! I wasn't sure if it was going to happen, shopping at the co-op as opposed to farmers' markets, but it did: discounted apples. I bought two produce bags full of ripe pink lady apples. When I told Anjali what they were for, she wanted to make apple butter immediately! We quartered and cored them, then baked them till soft and dried out a little. I used that handy handheld mixer to blend them. We baked enough to fill a large mixing bowl (even after somebody kept sneaking several apples' worth of pieces throughout the day!). I'll use these guidelines again this year, and hopefully will be able to give you better measurements this time around. Sadly we're on our way back to Kentucky today for the funeral of my "papaw." :-( When we return, the pureed applesauce will be waiting in the fridge for us to ferment into apple butter!
Anjali loves this stuff. To get those good fats into her, and to balance out the sugar, I gently melt a few pats of butter to mix in with hers. She could eat a whole jar in one sitting.

A secret: recently, Anjali has stopped liking the taste of cod liver oil. She used to gulp it down (believe it or not), and I'd have to "cut her off!" I noticed her immune system seemed to be missing the daily dose of this sacred food; she came down with several bugs this cold season, whereas before she had had *maybe* one cold. So I have been giving her CLO in a teaspoon of apple butter ( we use the traditionally-crafted fermented CLO from these guys: http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Home/index.cfm ). I'm not *sneaking* it - she knows it's in there, she just doesn't mind because of the apple butter. If that's all it takes: bring on the apple butter!

Later edition: Well, after a tiny apple fairy nibbled on the apples over the course of a few days while I got around to draining yogurt for whey, I only ended up with enough apple sauce to make a quart and a half of apple butter! So I can't give you any new information on the recipe. But I did use the recipe sited above. I added cinnamon and a couple cloves to each jar. :-)

Using Up the Easter Eggs: Make Your Own Gomasio

2011-04-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is our favorite way to eat hard-cooked eggs out of hand, as we do regularly on plane trips, and now ~ with the Easter eggs we dyed.

First of all I have to say, to cook pastured eggs so that you get the most out of those gorgeous orange yolks: don't boil the heck out of them.

The way that I was taught was to place the eggs in the pot, covered in water. Bring the water up just barely to a boil. Let it barely-boil for one minute. Then turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let sit for ten minutes. Then cool the eggs with ice and water (or eat). This makes a yolk that is still creamy and a tad soft at the very center. Yum!

On to the Gomasio ~

for one hard-cooked egg

1 tsp+ dulse flakes

1 tsp+ sesame seeds

high quality sea salt

red pepper flakes (optional)

I mix up about half dulse flakes and half sesame seeds. Then a few pinches of sea salt. And, if using red pepper flakes ~ a pinch. When we fly I put some in a ziplock, and tuck it in with the container of hard-cooked eggs. Some sliced raw cheese* and apples = never settle for airline food again!

At home I put gomasio in one bowl, and a generous drizzle of high quality olive oil (the Bariani farm is only a few miles from our house!) in another, and Anjali has fun dipping from olive oil to gomasio (and back again over and over and over).

Dulse is a tasty introduction to seaweeds. I use dulse flakes in place of some sea salt on my own plate (I love it on eggs!!). Anjali relishes whole strips of dulse as a snack. Dulse's deep purple color is an immediate indicator that it is packed with nutrients ~particularly iron. I love this article by Susun Weed about the benefits and uses of seaweeds.

Enjoy!

*sliced for ease of eating, and also: so they won't stop you when you're going through security!

Using Up the CSA Veggies: Hidden-Veggie Egg Scramble

2011-04-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Haha. I'm laughing at myself. I was preparing to share with you all the clever ways I find to use up a generous CSA box. I had taken notes throughout the past week, and had my notebook sitting beside my keyboard, poised.

Then we were sitting down for a Sunday Brunch when I looked over at my voracious-eating husband's plate; the pile of sauteed veggie medley was clumped in the corner, close to cold. I asked him (sincerely) if it was to his liking. He admitted: "I'm really tired of all these vegetables. I know there's only so much you can do with them. When I get to the bottom of my jar of soup [I pack him quart jars of soup to reheat at work], I often have a little pile of veggies just like this. I look at it like this: [he made a forlorn face]." Although I was disappointed at this, I count on him to be honest with me, because: who wants to go their whole life thinking their cooking is well-loved, when actually their loved-one is just fibbing and swallowing it down? I know everyone has their own taste, but I'm the cook for my family, and I want to make food that everyone likes for the most part. Now, Troy is a meat-lover. He definitely falls on the "hunter" end of the hunter-gatherer spectrum. Though I fully embrace my omnivorous nature and love me a charcuterie plate appetizer, I tend towards the "gatherer" category. We balance each other out.

At that moment, I realized I've reached the point that I imagine every cook faces when trying to feed their family well: hiding vegetables. Here's how I did it this morning:

Hidden-Veggie Egg Scramble

three-four meal-sized portions, depending on the appetites of the eaters

butter or other delicious fat for the pan ~ don't be shy

3 smallish carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

1 medium onion, chopped

4 large stalks of chard, chopped

sea salt to taste

7 pastured eggs

1/3 cup grassfed whole milk or whole yogurt

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

fresh red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

more butter or other delicious fat

1/2 cup grated cheddar or monterey jack

~In a cast iron skillet, I sauteed the veggies till soft ~ starting with the carrots and onions, and adding the chopped chard in the last five or so minutes.

~While that cooked, I lightly mixed the eggs with the dairy and seasoning.

~Then I poured the sauteed vegetables into the egg mixture and used that always-handy immersion blender to puree till frothy. You could, of course, simply use a regular blender.

~I melted the butter on low in the same skillet. Then I poured the egg-veggie mixture in there and scrambled.

~When they were still a tad on the runny side, I sprinkled the melted cheese on top.

~Then I turned off the burner, and put a lid on it.

When the cheese was melted, the eggs were ready.

I served it with Salad Kraut.

With all that melted cheese on top, how was my sweetie to know about all of the veggies that were hidden beneath? ;-) His verdict, after all was eaten: "Delicious; but I could still taste the veggies." Well, yeah, but... I think he might have to get over that. And the verdict of the girl: she ate quite a lot of her little bowlful. My verdict: "Yummy! With the sweetness of carrot."

Just a little suggestion from my family test-kitchen here in April. Let me know how it goes.

Toddler Favorite: Smoothies

2011-04-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I find it challenging ~ both practically and for my ego ~ to cook for a toddler. Something she devours and asks for seconds and thirds of one day is something she might not have any interest in the next time I prepare it. I try not to take it personally or let it frustrate me; it is what it is. But when she does like something more than once, you know I'm writing it down!

Smoothies are one of those items. Like a milkshake with some extra nourishment tucked in, who doesn't like a smoothie? The fun thing about eating the way we do is, you don't have to fake a smile and pretend it's as tasty as it is good for you ~ it is tasty! For kid and adult alike. And so satisfying.

If you're not used to eating full-fat foods, you could definitely take this smoothie by sips and not gulps; it is dense. Pay no heed to the low-fat propaganda! Feed your growing child (and yourself!) real food and reap the rewards of real health. If dairy is a challenge for you, or you don't have access to raw milk, full-fat coconut milk with a little filtered water works deliciously, too.

Last night Anjali, age 2.5, said as she licked her lips from a second serving of this smoothie, "Smoovie's my favorite!" I took note.

Anjali's Favorite Smoothie

enough for several toddler servings which can be kept in the fridge for a day if necessary

3/4 cup raw whole milk from a farm you trust

1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt

1 pastured egg yolk

1/3 a ripe banana*

a dash of vanilla

a pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil

~I don't use measurements, but just eyeball quantities as I place all the ingredients except the fats into a wide-mouth pint jar.

~Then I gently melt the butter and coconut oil on low.

~While that's melting I use my immersion blender to mix the ingredients in the jar. (I use my handheld blender almost daily. I found it for $9 at a thrift store, but knowing I use it this much I would be willing to pay much more for the next one ~ hopefully second-hand, as well! ~ when mine finally wears out.)

~With the blender going, I slowly pour the melted fats in and whip till frothy.

Right now I don't add anything frozen. But I bet as the weather warms some frozen fruit will be a welcome addition. You can let your imagination go for additions and variations on this. Cinnamon, carob powder, other fruit, nut butters made from soaked nuts ~ all are fair game.

Anjali and I share this smoothie. It is too heavy for me in the morning, but in the afternoon it is a nice filling snack for that difficult transition time (for me) from afternoon to evening.

Anjali likes it any time of day or night.

*Organic ripe bananas are a non-local treat I have embraced for my daughter now that we shop at a co-op instead of exclusively at farmers' markets. Best to eat them with some good fat; they are really sugary.

Fermented: April Veggie Kraut

2011-04-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

My assistant is always up for kraut-making. Pounding, stirring, adding the salt, chopping (with very attentive Mommy-supervision!), and of course taste-testing for quality-control. She generally thinks my recipes are too sweet, so she helps me by thinning out the sweet bits before jarring; she's thoughtful that way. ;)

I'm enjoying the weekly culinary challenge that is presented with a CSA. Riverdog Farm sends us a generous bounty of produce every week. My personal goal: to have an empty vegetable drawer when we go pick up our box on Fridays. This means that we eat a lot of fresh veggies, and that we make a lot of ferments! On delivery day, I assess the produce as I sort it into the proper receptacles ~ the fruit bowl, the root drawer, and the crisper drawer in the fridge; I make rough guesses of what I can use for breakfast, what would go great in a soup, what could be eaten raw for salads and snacks, what deserves to be showcased on its own, and what would be yummy in kraut. On Thursday night or Friday morning, what's leftover in the crisper drawer goes to the kraut. For a long time, I only liked cabbage fermented, and disliked it any other way. Lately I've been enjoying it cooked (till soft). So less cabbage is getting dedicated to kraut. But I've also been loving fermented grated carrots, so I've hoarded away at least one every week. Farm-fresh carrots are SO delicious! Instead of winding up forgotten in the back of the drawer until they're limp ~ like grocery store carrots sold in bags tended to in my kitchen, farm-fresh carrots are as sweet as candy simply eaten out-of-hand. They make any meal they touch a flavor treat.

Here's last week's kraut ~ a Springtime rainbow.

One grated carrot

1/4 of a small purple cabbage, shredded

a few red chard stems, sliced

1/2 a pink lady apple left for a day on the cutting board (not from CSA, but still local!), sliced then chopped

1/2 a fennel bulb, chopped

fennel leaves, minced

sea salt

I used some of the pink brine leftover from a Winter kraut of carrots, celeriac, and watermelon radishes, to cover these veggies. In a few days, everything will be pink. I like pink kraut. :)

PBS-KQED video about my friend Eduardo and his bread

2011-03-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

Always so proud of what my friends are up to.

Here's a video about my friend Eduardo and his delicious, high-quality sourdough bread.

Fermented: First Veggie Kraut in Baja

2011-03-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

Chopped and jarred in our outdoor camp kitchen in La Ribera, Baja California Sur, Mexico. From veggies procured at the Mercado Organico in Cabo San Lucas. Lovely, eh?

Fermented: "Salad Kraut"

2011-02-22T00:42:00.001-08:00

A note I sent to Austin at 12:30 am before I flew out the next day (I never stay up that late!):

"Just finished a manic clear-out-the-veggie-drawer-before-leaving-on-a-jetplane batch of kraut. I call it salad kraut because I added a bunch of arugula, and then dill and two kinds of mustard seed. Feels fresh and Spring-heralding. : ) Cabbage, carrot, cauliflower and romanesco plus their leaves, and celeriac. Wish it luck!"

The April assessment of this kraut: "One of my favorites," says Sealion! He likes the addition of the traditional pickling spices. The arugula, which I left whole on the stalk, is particularly "pickly" tasting. A success!

Citrus Season ~ citrus drinks

2011-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Here in Sacramento, the sidewalks are lined with large orange trees that litter the ground with ripe fruit. It's overly abundant. For the past month we have received a several-pound bag of oranges in our CSA box ~ many tiny mandarins, and a few larger navels each week. Our good friends down the street have a lemon tree that is equally generous with its bounty. So we have lots of citrus to gratefully utilize!

What have we done with all this? Fresh-squeezed orange juice for Sunday brunch (so luxurious), orange juice-infused black bean chili (yum), frozen "Sunshine Squares", warm tea, and my own rendition of a rejuvenating natural electrolyte drink!

Today I'd like to share the last two with you ~ simple and nourishing ways to use citrus in beverages. Orange juice is much too sweet to drink every day ~ especially for breakfast. Talk about a way to spike out your blood sugar! And pasteurized juices lack so much of what makes oranges good for us ~ all the enzymes and much of the vitamins. So here are a couple ideas for enjoying the flavor and sweetness of oranges in a milder and whole way. Water and juice ~ it's how you dress them up that they serve different purposes equally well.

Orange Spice Tea

Fill your cup most of the way with close-to-boiling filtered water. Keep it cool enough that you can almost-comfortably stick your finger in it ~ to preserve the raw goodness of the citrus.

Squeeze the juice of 1 orange,

and 1 slice of lemon into your cup.

Add 2 tsp ginger powder, and

1/4 tsp cinnamon.

Sweeten with honey if you like.

Wrap your hands around the mug, snuggle up in a blanket, and thank Mother Nature that she had the intriguing creativity to make citrus season in the middle of winter. :)

All-Natural, All-Good Electrolyte Drink

I came up with this drink in the heat of Baja. I used limon, which is ubiquitous and delicious there, but I substitute lemon up here in Northern California. In Baja, it was just what the intense sun directed. In rainy season Sacramento, it's a satisfying post-work out drink.

1 glass of room-temperature filtered water

The juice of half an orange

The juice of one limon, or 1 slice of lemon

a generous pinch of quality sea salt.

Another Sunday Sourdough

2011-02-07T14:45:00.001-08:00

Another loaf using freshly-milled organic spelt, tons of sunflower, sesame, and flax seeds, and a dripping serving spoon of Kentucky-made sorghum molasses. Oh - and lots of butter.

I might have a weekly routine going; I've managed to bake sourdough for the past three Sundays in a row. With the non-existent weekly schedule in our house (I'm at home, and my husband's schedule changes monthly, and randomly switches from day- to night- to evening-shifts), this feels solid and comforting.
I'm so happy with the strides I've made with whole grain sourdough lately. The last two batches have been downright delicious - not even very sour, though I'm not sure why, considering I'm using the same starter and general recipe.
I have settled into using The Tassajara Bread Book's guidelines for making sourdough. Hilariously (because I rarely follow recipes that closely), the closer I follow the recipe, the better the bread turns out! ;) He knows his stuff.
I have been kneading in copious amounts of seeds - sprouted sunflower, sesame, and flax - inspired by a loaf we loved in Baja Sur that Woo and Miles found at the Saturday organic farmers' market in San Jose del Cabo. (I know; how awesome that there's an organic market there!) Although I doubt that those bakers added quite the amount of butter that I'm also loading into this loaf. I look forward to the opportunity to share this bread with Woo, a passionate bread-lover, to hear her response. :)
One thing that is so hard for me to relearn, after my background in packaged-yeast bread baking, is how soft the dough needs to be in order to rise; mine are still not rising much. But they certainly are damn tasty.

2011-02-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

Food Timeline

2011-01-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

A little sidenote, for the nerdy food-lover in us:

This chronological history of food and recipes.

Sunday morning sourdough

2011-01-23T11:04:00.001-08:00

This one didn't rise overnight quite like I would've liked, but it still tasted great fresh outta the oven with butter and sorghum. Yum!

And the marmalade

2011-01-21T18:55:00.001-08:00

Recipe from Nourishing Traditions, using Satsuma mandarins and navels from Gold Oak Ranch supplied by the bag in our CSA from Riverdog Farm. :)

Stoking the home fires

2011-01-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

I was gone essentially for three weeks - family in Florida, friends (and more family) in Kentucky, then life adventure in Baja Sur, Mexico. When I got back to Sacramento, I had some work to do to get our kitchen back in production.

What have I been doing?
-Made a batch of chicken bone broth immediately. Jarred and froze for later use.
-Made another batch of broth with mixed bones that had collected in a bag in the freezer, and then in the last hours added a potful of aromatic veggie stems - carrot stubs, onion tips, leek leaves, etc. - that I had also been collecting in the freezer. I jarred this flavorful mix in tiny 1/2 pint jelly jars to use in sauces.
-I bottled the 1/2 gallon of beet kvass that had been brewing patiently in my absence, and added preserved lemon to each bottle! I think I'll like this!
-Anjali and I made a quart of sauerkraut from CSA veggies that I had set aside for this purpose weeks ago. Napa cabbage, cauliflower, red-centered "watermelon" daikon radish, and carrot. I then poured the garlicky brine I saved from a previous batch overtop of it. We ate the first forkfuls last night with dinner.
:)
-Brought the sourdough starter out of hibernation in the fridge, ground some fresh spelt flour, mixed it in with water, and set it up to bubble on the back of the stove. It'll be ready for a loaf tonight! :)
-Made, jarred, and froze quart jars of soup (from CSA veggies and bone broth) for Troy's lunches.

I love all these little projects. I love the bubbling crocks, and the pot constantly simmering on low on the back burner. I love that I have oranges set out next to a cookbook on the cutting board in preparation for marmalade, and bananas ripening for Anjali's favorite of late: "Fozen Mananas" (bananas pureed with melted butter and coconut oil, and then frozen and cut into chunks). I feel so lucky to have these as my day-to-day.
If I could finally get through the dirty dishes and see my way to the countertop, I'd be one totally content kitchen goddess! ;)

This blog post is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays!

Deciphering Meat Labels

2011-01-21T16:31:00.002-08:00

(whew! Been gone awhile!)
Here(down the page a ways) is a helpful article explaining all the various labels on meat these days, from the folks at CUESA.
Bottom line, as always, if you want to trust that the food you feed your family is all it claims to be - especially animal products! - get to know the people who grew/raised it.

Sourdough Success!

2010-11-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am pleased. I brought out the sourdough starter from the fridge, inspired by several regular bakers, to have another go.

Years ago, I baked with a mix of white and whole-grain flours, and used packaged yeast instead of wild. I was confident that when I embarked, the process would yield satisfying results. I made tasty bread ~ pita, calzones, focaccia and pizza crusts, and rounds. These days, I don't even eat bread regularly. And in the past few years since I insist on using 100% whole-grain, freshly-milled flour, and a sourdough starter, I have had mixed results when I did feel the urge to bake. But the ritual of the stirring, the kneading, the sensuality of the flour on my hands, the push-turn folding, the pungent wheaty yeasty fragrance of the dough, and of course the gratification of pulling a loaf out of the oven, cracking it open and feeling the steam, and devouring a crusted spongy piece as melting butter drips down my fingers...Well, ok; I love it.

In my fantasy kitchen I'd bake a loaf every week.

And this morning I baked one. Earlier in the week I scooped some starter out of the sleeping jar in the fridge and fed it daily freshly-milled spelt and filtered water. Left this new jar out on the counter to warm, and it happily bubbled and expanded. So last evening I had probably a cup and a half of very active starter: time to make bread. I set a spoonful or two of it aside to feed the jar in the fridge, and poured the rest of the bubbling liquid into my bread mixing bowl. This is the extra-exciting part for me: I didn't use a recipe ~ even for salt; I did it by feel. About this much flour? About this much salt, and that much molasses, and some butter. I have heard that true Skill is not in avoiding missteps, but in reacting appropriately to them. Well I chose not to add water, because it didn't feel like it needed any ~ according to my package-yeast-trained hands. But when a few hours passed and my shaped loaf looked and felt exactly the same as it had when I placed it in the pan, I intuited that I needed to add liquid; sourdough loaves should feel a bit sticky and soft compared to package-yeast loaves. Kneaded again, shaped, slashed an "X" in the top, covered it with a towel...and went to bed. When I entered the kitchen this morning, what did I find, but a perfectly-raised loaf of whole-grain sourdough ready for the oven in time for breakfast! Delight!

The result: A tiny skillet full of crusty chewy-dense sour bread that we thrillingly piled with butter and ate by the chunk. With the final spoonfuls of the homemade apple butter from last season.

Um, yes. I'm quite pleased!

Coconut Cornbread

2010-10-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is my first entry in Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays! Enjoy! : )

..last bite..

Oh.

Fresh out of the oven, this cornbread deserves an ode. It is every bit worthy of art-photography. Even for my devoted WAPF-loving taste, this cornbread ~ fried in both lard and coconut oil ~ feels very rich if not decadent. As much as I wanted to eat the whole pan, I could only eat a piece (..or two..). And that is the beauty of nutrient-dense foods: you can only eat so much of even the most delicious meals because they actually satisfy. You can, of course, make this vegetarian by skipping the lard. But don't skimp on the fat! Add extra coconut oil, or butter.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet in the oven at 450.

Melt in the skillet:

2 tbsp+ lard

2 tbsp+ coconut oil

Dry ingredients:

1 3/4 cup cornflour* ~ half blue, half yellow, just for fun

1 tbsp Sucanat

about a cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp seasalt

Wet ingredients:

1 cup raw whole milk

1 cup whole yogurt

3 eggs

Whisk the eggs and then combine with the dairy. Pour wet ingredients into dry and blend thoroughly. Pour batter into hot hot skillet ~ it will sizzle as it makes contact with the hot fat! Be prepared! Bake till golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean ~ maybe 20 minutes.

This cornbread is so rich, you might not even need to spread it with butter...

But why take the risk? ; )

* I didn't nixtamalize the cornflour for this recipe, but I wanna try it the next time; I finally found some pickling lime in the canning section of Ace Hardware. I think I'd need to reduce the liquid slightly after nixtamalizing.

Scrambled Eggs, or: Know Your Farmers

2010-10-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Large-scale "Organic" companies are taking advantage of our good intentions and misinformation. The Cornucopia Institute has released Scrambled Eggs, a thorough report on their investigation of "Organic" egg company practices. Though it's worth reading, Food Renegade gives a summary. If Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma didn't hit this lesson home to me when I read it years ago, this report is a painful reminder: it is absolutely essential to know the people who raise the food you eat. The large-scale industrial food system doesn't work. The environment, animals, workers, neighbors of industrial operations, and finally, the person at the end of the fork, all suffer. And while large-scale "Organic" is better than conventional agriculture, it still doesn't get you what you think you're paying for. Buying food from a CSA or at a Farmers' Market costs more. But it's an up-front cost ~ the actual value of food worth growing, raising, and eating.

If you don't raise hens yourself (which I recommend! what fun!), buy eggs from a farmer you know and trust. It's an investment in health. Since moving to Sacramento, we're getting eggs from St. John's Family Farm. If you are unfamiliar with farmers in your area, Local Harvest is a great site to find them.

As fresh as they get! Eggs from our backyard girls ~

with access to dirt, bugs,

and as much sunlight as the Bay Area has to offer,

fed whole organic grains (no soy), kitchen scraps,

clover and kale (in the dry season).

Raisin-Coconut Balls

2010-09-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

not too pretty ~ these'll do just fine. ; )

Out of necessity, I've created a variation on the Date Balls with Toasted Coconut recipe. We are simultaneously packing to move to Sacramento, and packing for an extended-family vacation to Maui! We always travel with our own food, to avoid having to eat garbage while in flight. This usually consists of raw cheese, hard-cooked eggs, some hearty bread, and butter, and hopefully something sweet, like fruit or Coconut Dateballs. In an effort to simplify, I decided to skip making snacks for the trip and just buy some. So I stopped in at Cafe Gratitude, right up the street, to get a few of their yummy green energy balls. Sweetened with dried fruits, studded with nuts and seeds, and tinted with spirulina powder, Mommy and Anjali have enjoyed these occasionally as a treat. Well, they stopped carrying them!
So I quickly walked home and searched the cupboard to see what I could come up with in a hurry. Here's what it is:

Raisin Coconut Balls
3 handfuls of raisins
Maybe 10 leftover dried cranberries
1 cup coconut butter, softened by the sun
About 1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes, ground in coffee grinder
1/4 tsp seasalt
A generous sprinkling of sesame seeds
A handful of sunflower seeds
2 tbsp softened butter
1 tsp+ Vitamineral Green* powder

I mixed all ingredients in the food processor at once, scooped them out onto a cookie sheet using a teaspoon measure, and just shaped the blobs enough so that they won't fall apart when picked up. The cookie sheet went into the freezer, and I'll scoop some out into a container as we leave for the airport in the morning!
I have learned that, refreshingly, children do not exhibit that Puritanical determination I have cultivated to eat something "just because it's good for me," even if I don't like it. ; ) So I only added a bit of the green powder - enough to darken the mixture, and a small enough amount that, when tasting it, Anjali asked for more.
It is inspiring for me to have variations that work, as I rarely make something exactly the same twice.

* This is from a vegan company and website. Though I don't recommend a vegan diet, I think this is the best green powder around.

Yum ~ in Photos

2010-09-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

A plate of fresh coconut-date love.
Home from the Farmers' Market ~ late-summer bounty. Radicchio, gorgeous basil,
Armenian cucumber, zucchini and crookneck squash, a load of dry-farmed tomatoes
and a couple multi-colored heirlooms.
Can't you just *taste* the sun's love in a warm, ripe, garden-fresh tomato?
That might be *the* taste of summer to me.

Date Balls with Toasted Coconut

2010-09-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is my interpretation of my good friend Jessica Prentice's recipe, from her book Full Moon Feast ~ truly one of the most influential books of my life.

These date balls are delicious ~ sweet enough for my sweet-toothed toddler to ask for more, but not too sweet for Mommy to eat, or feel bad about giving to Baby. They are yummy and satisfying ~ the perfect nourishing snack with plenty of good fat. And so simple to make.

The main ingredient is coconut butter, which usually can be found in the Raw section of natural foods stores. When I first discovered this magical substance (similar to almond butter only made out of coconut meat...!), I hid it in the back of the cabinet and ate the whole jar, spoonful-by-spoonful! It is so rich, creamy, and flavorful.

(yes; i label containers. with hearts..)

Date Balls with Toasted Coconut

16 small dates, pitted (maybe 10+ Medjools)

1 cup coconut butter, softened

1/4 tsp sea salt

1.5 tbsp butter and

1.5 tbsp coconut oil, melted

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted, then ground in a coffee mill

It's easier to use the coconut butter if you first warm it by placing the jar in a pot with a few inches of water and heating it on low for a while. So do that first. Pit dates and pulse in a food processor a few spins. Then add the softened coconut butter and sea salt. Melt the fats and pour them in while the processor is running. Toast the coconut flakes in a dry skillet on low heat, stirring often, till they are golden brown. Then pulse them a few times in a clean coffee/spice grinder. This helps the texture of the date balls. Gradually add toasted flakes to the coconut date mixture until it is well blended and smooth.

I use a teaspoon to measure out the balls ~ this is a perfect toddler-sized portion. I roll them in my hands a few times until they are relatively round, and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. I slide this into the freezer for a little bit (maybe an hour) to get them firm, then spatula the date balls off the sheet into a pint jar. Keep them refrigerated, as they will soften if left out (or in a toddler's fist too long).

These are a wholesome treat for all ages.

I won't tell if you don't share any with a toddler. ;-)

fermented: carrots, and fruit-scrap vinegars

2010-08-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

I hadn't fermented any veggies in a while. Inspired by my roommie, Austin, who was fermenting something nearly every time he went to the farmers' market there for a while (!), I did a veggie ferment in brine. This kind of ferment is so easy, because you don't even have to do any chopping. Simply fill the jar with whole veggies, then top off with seasalted water. For the half-gallon jar I filled, I used between 2-3 tablespoons of seasalt. More for hot weather, less for cold. My mix was mainly tiny carrots, with whole cloves of garlic, grated as well as sliced ginger, and then a large handful of sea veggies (they were called "sea crunchies", but were no longer crunchy, so I added them in; I don't know their official name. I love seaweeds and they are soooo nutrient-dense. A bonus. I covered the jar with a cloth and secured it with a tie to keep out bugs. It sat in a cool room (which would be any room in our house this "summer"!) for over a month. A thick, smelly, furry layer of mold developed on top that would have deterred a novice. I, being a seasoned veggie fermenter at this point ;-), pulled this layer off with a spoon very easily. Underneath, the garlicky brine smelled appetizing. A layer of carrots at the top was off-color and mushy. Below that, the carrots were crisp and pleasantly flavorful. The overarching flavor of this ferment is garlic, with not even a hint of ginger! Oh, well.

"Garlicky Sea Carrots" in pint and quart jars, ready to eat

A ferment I have been looking forward to all year is fruit-scrap vinegar ~ the recipe for which I read in Wild Fermentation (one of my favorite books of all time). I discovered it last year when we were gifted FIVE WHOLE GALLONS of tasty cherries, and I didn't want to waste a single one! It's so easy, and it utilizes bruised fruits, and pits. So it's a delicious way to savor every morsel of the ripe, luscious summer fruit bounty! This year the only thing I did with our backyard plums is make vinegar with them. The last two years I tried to make jam, ended up using way too much sugar to balance their bitter tang, and ended up not eating it because we just don't eat sweet stuff. So = a waste. This season I gathered a large mixing bowl of fruit off the ground, after the squirrels and birds had had their fill, and made vinegar. We all win! : )

I also bought a huge bag of nectarine "seconds" at our favorite nectarine vendor ~ Kashiwase Farms (We are so spoiled by nectarines around here!!! They are sweeter than candy, before they even get soft. Incredible!). I sliced up all the fruits to eat out of hand, while piling a mixing bowl high with the bruised pieces and pits. Then I made vinegar. Have I mentioned I love how easy fermenting can be? Well, all you need to do to make phenomenally flavorful, gift-worthy "gourmet" vinegar is to dissolve 1/4 cup sugar (I use organic Sucanat/Rapadura, which is dehydrated cane juice) per quart of filtered water and cover the fruit ~ any organic fruit scraps will do. Cover it with a secured napkin to keep away the fruit flies that will be tempted and pesterful. Give it a nudge to stir it up occasionally. Let it sit for a week or more, until the liquid gets thick with color. Then strain out the solids and let it turn for a few weeks. First it will smell sweet, then like alcohol, then like vinegar. This is an aerobic process, so a wide-mouth vessel is best ~ for big batches I like to use pyrex mixing bowls, or wide-mouth canning jars for smaller ones. It's also important to use glass because of the acidity of the vinegar (as opposed to metal). Once it smells and tastes sufficiently vinegar-y, pour it into the attractive vessels of your choice and enjoy any way you would a tasty sweet vinegar.

Mercola on the Cholesterol Myth

2010-08-21T14:00:00.001-07:00

A tidbit on nutrition and health.

I'm excited that this "news" is making it to the mainstream. I really believe that slowly our cultural tide is turning back to Real Food.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspx

(my side note: if you manage to get to the bottom of this article, he recommends eating by a "nutritional type". I haven't researched his basis for this, though I think it makes a LOT of sense to eat according to your ethnic heritage, ie, what your ancestors evolved eating because of where they lived.. So, though I agree with him on most of his suggestions, I can't vouch for his "nutritional types" theory.)

Summer Veggie Lovin': Fresh Salsas

2010-08-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

Summer is such a fun and easy time to prepare meals. All the bright, colorful produce demands to be eaten immediately, without much work at all. I have been loving salads. Some days I have some form of salad with breakfast, lunch, and dinner! And lately I have been mixing up what I call "salsas" for a fun salad concoction. I chop up veggies, add some olive oil and (usually red wine) vinegar or citrus (lemon or lime) juice, seasalt, toss them together, and then put them on top of a bed of good lettuce (my favorite is Little Gem from Blue Heron Farm!). Another way I've served these salsas is mixed with a pasta (Tinkyada rice pasta), or grain ~ such as brown rice or quinoa, or a combination! It also works on top of scrambled eggs. I love fresh veggies for breakfast (this morning I sauteed a handful of chopped dandelion greens with sliced garlic, added that to eggs, then topped it with leftover salsa ~ so good).

cherry tomato, Armenian cucumber, snipped basil, and red pepper flakes

Here's a list of ingredients from concoctions I've made just in the past few days:

Barely-cooked corn fresh from the cob

Cherry tomatoes sliced in half (this is my favorite way to eat tomatoes right now

~ neat and easy)

A beefy heirloom tomato, diced

fresh-pressed garlic (I put this is almost everything)

basil leaves snipped with scissors

cilantro snipped with scissors

fresh oregano, minced

Armenian cucumber, sliced into rounds, then quartered

young (small) yellow squash or zucchini, sliced into rounds and quartered

Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

green beans, sauteed

avocado, diced

Sample Combinations:

Barely-cooked corn fresh from the cob

Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

basil leaves snipped with scissors

red wine vinegar

Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

Armenian cucumber, sliced into rounds, then quartered

fresh oregano, minced

balsamic vinegar

Barely-cooked corn fresh from the cob

Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

avocado, diced

cilantro snipped with scissors

lime juice

young (small) yellow squash or zucchini, sliced into rounds and quartered

A beefy heirloom tomato, diced

green beans, sauteed

fresh-pressed garlic

A later edition:

Ooo!! A new combination!

diced ripe cantaloupe (yuuuummm!)

Armenian cucumber rounds, quartered

snipped basil

olive oil and seasalt

crumbled feta

Delicious!!!!

Coconut-Oat-Seed Crackers

2010-08-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yay! I made a granola recipe recently that called for soaking rolled oats with yogurt for a couple nights. When I worked with what ended up being oat dough, it reminded me of one of my favorite natural foods store treats ~ dehydrated crackers. You can find them in the raw foods section, made from sprouted grains and nuts, sometimes sauerkraut and veggies and spices. They can be sweet ~ with raisins, banana or dates, or (my favorite) savory. But they're expensive. And so easy to make at home! I don't have a dehydrator, so the ones I make aren't raw. I bake them on parchment-lined baking stones in the oven on the lowest setting possible.

I tried to add as much nourishment as I could to them while still keeping them yummy (what's the point of making something nutritious if nobody eats it!) ~ seaweeds for minerals, flax seeds, lots of coconut flakes, and good fats ~ coconut oil, red palm oil (makes the crackers a lovely turmeric color), and butter. With all the fats, they are not greasy to the touch, have a satisfying crispness, and a fun cheesy taste. Everyone in the house loves them. Score!
I have tried two batches, and the second batch has a great texture and flavor. I didn't write down the amounts as I went because I was just winging it in experimental mode. But I'll try to recount what went into them.

In a large pyrex mixing bowl with filtered water, seasalt and yogurt whey, I soaked for two days:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raw almonds

Flax seeds, once wet, create a gel that acts very similarly to egg white, and, interestingly, has the same hold-things-together property as egg white! Convenient. : )
I drained these, and blended them well in a food processor (the flax seeds remained whole).
I added:
probably 1/3 cup dulse flakes
1/2 cup sesame seeds, ground in coffee grinder
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, ground in coffee grinder
2 + tsp seasalt
1 tsp kelp powder (I wanted them to be very nourishing, but not fishy tasting)
a splash of organic tamari soy sauce
about 1/2 cup plain whole yogurt
Melted and added:
1 tbsp red palm oil
2-3 tbsp coconut oil
up to a stick of butter

The consistency of the dough before I spread it was of a very workable bread dough ~ not hard to spread. I tried to spread it consistently and square off the edges so that it would bake uniformly, about..1/3 inch thick.
When the dough had baked long enough to evaporate a lot of the liquid ~ maybe an hour? ~ I scored it with a knife, in inch-plus sections, to make breaking it easier when the crackers were done. I let them get firm, but not browned, then turned the oven off and let it cool before taking them out and breaking them apart. If they sit out in the humidity they soften back up even in a matter of hours. You can just crisp them again in the oven. Or not; they're fine soft, too.

Strawberry Clafoutis

2010-07-24T10:33:00.001-07:00

When we got back from vacation, the strawberries were weighing down their stems. Huge, red, fragrant strawberries calling out to me from across the garden. There were enough ripe for me to pick six of them right then, and still leave many to ripen to perfection on the stems. Heart-pumping, for this amateur gardener! Though they were luscious enough to eat immediately, I actually had enough to make a recipe!

With the Nourished Kitchen's Blueberry Clafoutis fresh in my web-browsing memory, I headed to the kitchen.

Don't let the French name intimidate you. This is a very simple custard that is so easy to make. It seems like a treat or even a dessert, but with the cream and eggs, it's nourishing enough to be a filling breakfast (though very difficult to share... ;-). Drizzle with a little extra cream, or, to take it the next level ~ brunch with friends or dessert, pile fresh-whipped cream on top.

Strawberry Clafoutis ~ for 2 or 3

(using strawberries and eggs from our own backyard. that feels really cool. :-)

With ingredients like these, how can you go wrong?!

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a baking dish or pie pan with lots of butter.

Arrange artfully in the dish:

about 2 cups ripe strawberries, halved, then sliced

Whisk together:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

whole milk to thin the batter, as needed ~ it should be like crepe batter: thin.

3 pastured eggs

1/3 cup sprouted spelt flour

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

2-3 tbsp sucanat

1/4 tsp seasalt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Pour to cover strawberries.

Bake till golden and crisp around the edge, firm in the center ~ how long depends on the size of the dish; ours took about 30 minutes.

Devour.

(I rarely include photos of finished foods. A) because I am busy eating, and B) because I don't like how the photos usually come out. This one is passable; I like the arrangement of the strawberry slices most.)

Organic dairy is recommended;

from a local, small dairy's better;

raw is best! :-)

Wholesome Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-07-19T15:07:00.001-07:00

I love chocolate chip cookies. And what's more satisfying and comforting than homemade cookies fresh out of the oven? I'm not sure. After I bake a few to eat, I scoop the rest out onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Then I freeze them, and store the frozen cookie dough blobs in a ziplock bag in the freezer to have just a few at a time whenever I want. Since I haven't eaten sugar in such a long time, it doesn't take much to get my fix. Understandably, Anjali loves cookies, too, so I have been adding the chocolate to individual cookies (for me) right before bake time so that she can have some chocolate-free. Come to think of it, she would probably love the addition of a few raisins in hers! Baking small frozen cookie dough blobs takes hardly any more minutes to bake than room-temperature dough. But, oh! How gratifying!

Here is my more wholesome version of the Joy of Cooking's "Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie" recipe.

Whisk together dry ingredients:

1 cup sprouted spelt flour (or bulgar wheat, freshly ground!)*

1/2 tsp baking soda

Blend till fluffy:

1 stick softened butter

1/2 cup (or more, to taste; remember: I don't like food very sweet) Sucanat or Rapadura sugar**

Add, and blend till well combined:

1 pasture-raised egg

1/2 tsp seasalt

1 tsp vanilla

Add, in increments, dry to wet ingredients.

Drop by the spoonful onto a greased, or parchment lined, cookie sheet.

Press into each cookie dough blob right before baking

(or after a few minutes in the oven, if the cookie dough blobs are frozen):

1/2 square (or more) high quality chocolate per cookie, chopped into pieces ~ right now for cookies I love Alter Eco's Dark Chocolate Velvet, with its "delicate touch of milk"

Bake at 375 until golden ~ soft in the middle and a little crisp around the edges.

Perfect.

Yum!

*Even whole grain flours are not nutritiously sound unless they have been soaked overnight with an acid (like vinegar or whey), sprouted, or soured, as in sourdough. Taking the grain through these processes mimics germination. This activates the seed to release its nutrients and de-activates its anti-nutrients, called phytates. When eaten, phytates can spark or exacerbate digestive problems, reactions and sensitivities, and actually pull nutrients out of the body to process the grain. (Scientific details about that here.)

Sprouted flour is really nice to work with ~ it's light and fluffy, not heavy and sawdusty like some whole grain flours, and works well when converting many regular recipes to healthier versions. It doesn't compromise texture. It can be found online, but is rather pricey (though not bad if used only for the occasional cookie or biscuit recipe; for other things, like breads, just soak non-sprouted flour overnight). I use spelt instead of wheat much of the time for health reasons since it doesn't have as much gluten. For cookies and biscuits it doesn't seem to matter. But fortunately, if you don't already have sprouted flour in your freezer, bulgar wheat ~ used to make tabbouleh ~ is sprouted, too. And you can find it at most natural food stores; grind it at home for this recipe using a good coffee grinder (or grain mill or high-quality blender).

**These sweeteners are cane sugar with the natural minerals left intact (Rapadura is a brand name), making the occasional sweet treat more nutrient dense.

As always, I recommend organic ingredients. If you can buy them from people you know and trust, all the better!

another try at sourdough

2010-07-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

My sourdough culture is nice and bubbly and active these days. I haven't made any full-on sourdough in a while, as it takes more planning than I've been able to muster; I usually end up supplementing with some dry-active yeast. This loaf was in honor of our chickens ~ I used a couple cups of their seeds in the dough. They eat a wholesome mix of millet, flax, spelt, wheat, and sunflower seeds (maybe and sometimes others) ~ all whole grain and organic. I ground some into flour that I added to the starter, and I soaked some whole in water with whey for several days, and added it to the final dough, which was largely spelt and (whole) wheat. Then I covered the loaves in sesame seeds (because I love sesame seeds). Although the starter was very active, the dough didn't expand as I expected, and the loaves hardly expanded at all. Despite this (including how long I let it sit in hopes of rising), the final product tasted delicious, though ~ the sourness was distinct, but not overpowering. The whole seeds, however, which I expected to be totally soft and chewy, were as hard as if I'd never soaked them! They felt like little bits of gravel ~ so much so that Austin asked whether I'd accidentally included some of the oyster shell that the chickens also eat! As tasty as the bread was, I couldn't eat much because it felt as if I might break a tooth.
So, sourdough = good; seeds = bad, and I'm really not sure why.
But the photo is nice, don't you think?

Farmers' Market Love

2010-07-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here's another shout-out to the farmers' markets. I still love them and they are still a highlight of my week. Sometimes I attend all three Berkeley farmers' markets in one week. It's just that good. Here are some outrageously red radishes I saw at Blue Heron Farm's booth, where I get my weekly fix of baby lettuces.

Outrageous, no?

Savory Sweet Potato Pancakes ~ yum!!

2010-06-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, these are so good I can't quit eating them!!

I roasted the sweet potatoes on 400 last night so that they'd be ready this morning. While you're at it, you could substitute regular whole grain flour for the sprouted flour by mixing the yogurt and flour the night before. That way the flour would have all its nutrients available, and its phytate anti-nutrients broken down.

Ingredients:

1 large onion ~ chopped small

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp cumin~ toasted, then ground

1/4 cup sesame seeds ~ toasted

dry:

1 cup sprouted spelt flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

wet:

3/4 cup whole yogurt

1/4 cup filtered water

1.5 medium-sized sweet potatoes ~ roasted

3 eggs

3 tbsp butter ~ melted

topping:

whole yogurt

Instructions:

Saute' the onions. While you're doing this, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium-low heat. Then toast the cumin, and grind (if whole). Add the toasted items, plus the red pepper flakes, to the onions and fats. Saute' till the onion is soft but not brown.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and mix just until blended.

Fry 1/4 cup blobs in coconut oil and serve hot with whole yogurt on top.

So tasty!

Addicted

2010-06-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have heard that a person can be called "addicted" when they want not just any drug, but a particular one, and not taken just any way, but a very certain way. Well very urgently I have become addicted .

I need cherries. Not just any cherry ~ I need Bing cherries; don't give me Rainier or even Brooks. Bing cherries from Kashiwase Farm at the farmers' markets. I need them three times a week. And if there is a pound bag in the shopping basket as I'm leaving the Kashiwase stand, half the cherries could be gone by the time I make it home. I can't stop myself. I eat one right after another.

What am I doing typing? There are still a few left in the bowl from our trip to the market last night! I'll seek treatment if I fight Anjali for the last one...! ;-)

Thai-Inspired Coconut Soup with Pork and Rice Noodles

2010-05-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

This met with great enthusiasm at the dinner table last night. : )

I think all it's missing in the Thai department is lemongrass, which I'm not in the habit of keeping on hand.

Thai-Inspired Coconut Soup with Pork and Rice Noodles

Serves 2-3, depending on appetite

1 quart chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
about 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled with spoon, then grated with a Microplane, with about a tsp set aside for pork
1 carrot, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
about 1/3 pound ground pork
sea salt
fish sauce (simply of anchovy, salt, and sugar), to taste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
enough rice noodles* for two people
a large handful of sugar snap peas, tips chopped and strings removed
a small handful cilantro, chopped, for garnish
red pepper flakes

This can all be done in pretty rapid succession; the veggies should retain some texture. Heat the broth and coconut milk to boiling. Add ginger, garlic, and carrots, fish sauce and vinegar. Knead the pork with the tsp ginger and a little sea salt, and drop bite-sized pieces into the soup. Add water as necessary to keep it soupy. Wait a few minutes and add the pasta. When the pasta is very close to done, toss in the snap peas and cover while you get the bowls ready; the snap peas should cook only till bright green. Serve in large bowls, with cilantro and red pepper flakes sprinkled on top, to taste.

*Whenever we eat pasta, we use Tinkyada brown rice pasta. Unlike other white and even whole grain pastas, it is a whole product ~ fully available for the body. And it's tasty, with a good texture.

A late-summer variation:
Substitute cubed (unpeeled but scrubbed) sweet potatoes - or my recent favorite discovery: purple yams! - for the carrot and snap peas. Simmer in the broth until soft but still intact.
Substitute cooked brown rice for rice noodles.
Mmmm!

Illustrated

2010-04-28T23:23:00.001-07:00

If this goes through: I did it! I emailed a photo to my blog, using my
phone. Crossing fingers before hitting Send...

What We Ate (while you were on a date)

2010-04-28T22:34:00.001-07:00

Dear Austin,
I had a craving and made late-night Jali-won't-sleep muffins! And she helped! We had a blast. I threw them together as quickly as possible to ensure I actually got to eat one before Little Person made it obvious that bedtime had come! We finally trotted up to bed (with a second muffin in fist) at 9:45. Whew!

Ingredients: 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (thought it was sprouted, but it's not - oops!), about 1/4 cup leftover, already-cooked steel-cut oats, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1.5 tsp baking pdr, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, vanilla, sesame seeds (with extra that Jali added when I turned around! Heehee ), and 2 slices chopped up frozen apple, a forkful of honey, oh and a stick of butter! They are tasty. I wanna experiment with using just the leftover oats with eggs.

Jali does quality control before I slide them in the oven.

Lacto-Fermented Apple Butter

2010-04-24T22:33:00.001-07:00

Continuing the theme of preserving as many different kinds of produce as I can this year, I made lacto-fermented apple butter. Lacto-fermenting is so easy and delicious! Most every time, I am struck by the simplicity of preparation and yumminess of results! Now, this is different than lacto-fermenting sauerkraut; whereas sauerkraut ferments and mellows for up to six weeks, this apple butter only sat out at room temperature for a few days. I wasn't sure what kind of a fermented *tang* it would have. As of yet - not much. Just a flavorful apple spread that has the benefits of lacto-fermentation for preservation as well as nutrition. I imagine if it lasts long enough in the fridge (which I doubt! - we are devouring it!), it will acquire more of a kick as time passes. I used the recipe in Nourishing Traditions. It calls for dried apples that have been re-hydrated, I think for intensity of flavor compared to water content. However, I baked fresh apples, uncovering them in the end to dry them out so that they are marvelously flavorful. The recipe also calls for more honey, but these apples are so sweet and good as-is, I wanted to add as little as I could get away with. The whole household is pleased with the results.

We got a huge bag of "cosmetically challenged" apples at the farmers' market from the end of the cellar-apple season - there ended up being a lot of Fujis. So I froze some after baking, and made a quart-plus of apple butter with the rest. We wish I'd made more!

Lacto-fermented Apple Butter
- a quart-plus (wish I could tell you how many apples, but you'll
have to figure it out for yourself...)

Bake, covered, at 400:
Apples- quartered and cored - not peeled
Once they are soft, take off the lid and bake another 15 mins, then
turn off the oven and let them sit until their edges are browned and
crisp (this is usually just me forgetting about them...).

Blend cooled apples in a food processor with:
1/4 cup of whey - drained from plain, live-active organic yogurt
1 tbsp seasalt
1.5 tbsp raw honey

Pour into a clean jar and cover with a sterile lid.
Let sit at room temperature for 3 days, then refrigerate.
Will last 2-3 months.
You might as well go ahead and plan to make more than one batch...!

Mediterranean Lamburgers

2010-04-10T22:37:00.001-07:00

Lamb might just be my favorite meat. I should say - good, well-
prepared lamb; more than once, I've ordered it out and been
disappointed with the tough gaminess of what was called lamb. We love
ground lamb from Marin Sun Farms and Highland Hills about as well as
any nice cut. It is just so flavorful and juicy!
Here is a guideline for lamburgers I've seasoned and Sealion has
fashioned and grilled several times with mouth-watering results. It
could easily be a kebab recipe, but Sealion pats them into sphere-ish
patties which don't need skewers, or aluminum foil to prevent them
from being sacrificed to the grill god. ;-)
These would go nicely with a Greek salad or a light couscous pilaf-
type dish. Tonight we grilled beets, onions, and garlic with olive
oil, seasalt and pepper. and sesame seeds. Um. Yum.

Lamburgers - makes 3 or 4 patties
Marinate 1 lb pasture-raised lamb* with
5 med garlic cloves - pressed
1tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1tsp cumin and
1tsp coriander - both freshly toasted (toasting in a dry skillet
brings out the flavor!)
2+tbsp mint - minced
2+tbsp red onion - minced
Sea salt
Black pepper
Whole grain sourdough bread crumbs
Olive oil

Feta on top
Yogurt for dipping

Pat into thick, rounded patties. Grill to your liking, or fry in a
cast-iron skillet. Melt feta on top in the last minute or so.
Serve with yogurt for dipping.

*I've heard that all lamb is pastured, but it's always best to buy
from someone you trust.

Preserving Lemons

2010-04-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

We ~ Anjali and I (!) ~ lacto-fermented the season's lemons following the recipe in Nourishing Traditions. It uses cinnamon sticks, sea salt, and whey, plus some added lemon juice. They should be ready to enjoy in a few weeks. I have a goal ~ with the inspiration and motivation of my fine housemate, Austin ~ of preserving as many different fruits and veggies as I can this year. It's fun, easy, and delicious. Why not give it a shot. I have been re-perusing Wild Fermentation to further fan my fermentation fire!

Dandelion Greens with Onion

2010-04-07T21:37:00.001-07:00

Oh! Dandelion greens season! I look forward to it every year. Dandelion greens are one of Spring's loving ways of helping us cleanse and tonify our organs after Winter's heavier and heartier fare. They're bitter! And that is indicative of their medicinal quality. I have come to relish the bitterness because my body just craves these greens! She knows what she needs. And lately I have been buying them at the Farmers' Market every time I go, and cooking them as soon as I get home.
This is how I've been preparing them - with bacon grease and sauteed onion. Of course you can use another fat, but bacon grease really counters the bitterness nicely. Nutritionally, the fat helps make the green goodness available to your body; just as importantly, it tastes good!

2 tbsp bacon grease*
One onion - chopped
1 tsp seasalt, to taste
1 bunch dandelion greens, chopped no wider than my pinky

In a cast iron skillet, sauté the onion in the bacon grease until very soft. Chop the greens before soaking - cut the whole bunch off above the twist tie. Then start at the tips and chop down, making sure the pieces are very small. To clean, soak in a bowl of water. Then, pull them out of the soaking water by the handful directly into the skillet so that some water comes with the greens to help with cooking. Fold the greens in with the onions and cover at medium-high heat. Stir occasionally. Cook until the greens are soft, and serve piping hot. I've been enjoying them by the bowlful with a little bit of brown rice. Here's to Spring - Salud!

* about bacon grease ~ Only use nitrate- and nitrite-free bacon that has been humanely raised. It's worth the occasional splurge! Lately we have been loving Prather Ranch bacon. Makes my mouth water just to type it! Here's how to save the delicious grease: after frying the bacon while the skillet is still very hot, rubber band a clean kitchen cloth (like an already-stained kitchen towel or napkin) over the mouth of a clean jar. Then slowly and carefully pour the bacon grease through the napkin. This will strain out all the bits so that the grease can be used again. Refrigerate until you're ready to enjoy it in another meal. Yum!

Red Flannel Hash of Sorts

2010-03-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Another winner!

Enough for 5-6 for breakfast.

2 large red potatoes, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

2 large beets, cubed

1 large carrot, chopped to match the size of the other veggies

butter

olive oil

thyme

5 breakfast sausage links, cut into little pieces, then browned

8 eggs ~ scrambled

sea salt and pepper, to taste

(optional: leftover sauteed greens ~ beet or otherwise, reheated )

Roast the first set of ingredients in a covered baking dish at 400 till soft. I took the lid off for the last 15 minutes.

I reheated the leftover greens with the sausage in its final minutes of cooking.

Then I layered the egg, and sausage mixture on top of the roasted veggies. I highly recommend doing the chopping and cubing the night before. That makes it much easier and quicker in the morning (I'll try to remember that next time!). Colorful, hearty, and flavorful.

Lamb Tabouli Pilaf with Tahini Dressing

2010-03-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

We have family staying with us this week, and I have made a loose menu of breakfasts and dinners so that we eat a large majority of meals here for the week. Last night I got resoundingly positive feedback on dinner (yay! ~ from a variety of "types" of eaters), so I thought it was worth sharing.

But I'm gonna make it quick because breakfast is cooking and I can't keep the masses at bay forever!

Lamb Tabouli Pilaf with Tahini Dressing

Enough for 6 for dinner, plus leftovers for a few people as a snack the next day!

1 lb ground lamb with salt and pepper, browned

1 1/2 cups brown rice

1/2 cup quinoa

beef stock

large can chick peas (other beans are worth soaking ahead. but i buy canned chickpeas.)

1 block of dry cow's milk feta, crumbled small

1 bunch parsley ~ minced

1 "bunch" peppermint (from garden), minced

1 "bunch" lemon balm (from garden), minced

2 Tbsp minced red onion (I hate raw onion, but I thought it was appropriate..)

freshly toasted cumin, ground

sea salt and pepper to taste

juice of 3/4 a lemon

dressing:

whole milk yogurt

about 1/2 cup freshly toasted sesame seeds, ground in coffee grinder

olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed

more of the toasted cumin, ground

smoked paprika

sea salt

juice of 1/4 a lemon

Cooked the rice and quinoa together with 2 cups beef broth as part of the liquid. I let the meat and grains cool to about room temp, and tossed everything together in a big bowl.

Sorry I don't have measurements for the dressing. I probably used 1 1/2 cup of yogurt, and 1/4 cup (good) olive oil to make a thick creamy dressing. We used a lot of the dressing, so don't hold back. It was delicious, and was integral to flavor and texture.

This dish would be great served the next day ~ for a picnic for a group, etc. It is refreshingly light, yet filling, for a warm Spring day (like yesterday!).

For the Love of Food

2010-03-11T19:40:00.001-08:00

Three Stone Hearth included this little song in their weekly newsletter. Now this is a song I can relate to -one that passionately waxes poetic about good food. I love the lilt you can hear in the "Yes you did.." line. Makes me wanna be Irish. And eat a big pile of Colcannon. Or at least mashed potatoes with cream and butter...

Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.

Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake

Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?

Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.
And the more I think about it sure the nearer I'm to cry.
Oh, wasn't it the happy days when troubles we had not,
And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot?

sweet potato custard breakfast muffins with greens, and chevre

2010-03-07T13:10:00.001-08:00

Still attempting to shake up the breakfast menu. This morning we had a winner, for sure.
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
1/2 red onion, chopped small
A large cereal bowlful of greens, chopped fine
Fat for sauteeing (such as butter or bacon grease)
8 eggs
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
Chevre - a goodly amount
Sea salt - a 1/2 tsp each for greens and custard mixture
Freshly ground pepper

Butter to grease the muffin cups

I sauteed the onion and the pile of greens - dandelion and kale
mainly - while I baked a large sweet potato. I cracked 8 eggs into a
mixing bowl with 1/4 cup cream and 1/4 cup milk, then added the peeled
sweet potato, sea salt and ground pepper, and took the immersion
blender to it to mix it till frothy (a blender would work fine).
Filled buttered muffin cups with a layer of the sauteed greens, then
topped off with the custard mixture up to maybe 1/4 inch from the top.
Then! I plopped generous spoonfuls of chevre into the center of each.
Baked at 350 until golden and firm. They came out all puffed up and
beautiful, but quickly fell as any other puffed egg thing does. Still
delicious!! I have an earthenware muffin cup dish with extra-large
cups. I'd say it would've been 8 regular-sized muffins.
But then there was a lot of the custard left over. So I poured it into
buttered (cast iron) mini-muffin cups that baked up to look and taste
just like popovers! With a really nice sweetness and color from the
sweet potato. A pat of butter that inevitably slid down the piping hot
muffin onto my fingers just meant that they were literally finger-
lickin' good.
And both were a hit with the adults as well as the wee one of the
house, so they score extra stars.
In the future I might either use fewer eggs to make fewer muffins,
or saute' more greens to fill all the muffins. But as it was, I
enjoyed having some more meal-like muffins and some treat-like ones.
Experiment amongst yourselves and get back with me.

March 2

2010-03-02T20:42:00.001-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Austin,
It has been such fun for me to have this lovely email conversation with you while you were gone.! As much as I look forward to your return, I will miss the ritual it has become to write you a letter as I'm nursing Jali to sleep at night. You have been an inspiring and gentle muse. In the kitchen, as well, not a meal gets prepared for which I'm not thinking about how I will report to you about it: "yes, greens again," or: "I bet I wouldn't be cooking yet another hotdog if Austin were here," or, the best: "I should save some of this so Austin can try it.!" I actually did jar up and freeze some soup I made that I thought was extra tasty, but I think Sealion ended up taking it to work for lunch...
So, one last food report:
What happens when Tiffanie uses her discipline to avoid eating a delectable white-flour biscuit at Venus yesterday??She gets to eat a Whole Batch of homemade sprouted spelt biscuits at home!! I win! I followed the recipe in The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters (my gift to myself the time we ate a Chez Panisse dinner!), which calls for 3/4 cup heavy cream (!) as the liquid, and used sprouted spelt for the flour. I think I rolled them too thin, however I employed the technique I learned from Porsche and Misa to just barely mix the ingredients, and then fold it a few times, to create a flakey crispy pastry essentially. They could've been a pie crust - and that's a compliment.! Last night Sealion was off-kilter after getting home from a nightshift, so he wasn't hungry. I did something uncharacteristic of our meals here at the Pope house - I just made biscuits. And I had a big bowl of baked apples that I happened to cook that afternoon to take advantage of the end of the season at the farmers' market - "cosmetically challenged" apples. So one by one I spread butter on biscuit and perched a baked apple quarter on top. Hello? Better than apple pie. Austin, it was so good. What's almost as good as having fresh biscuits and butter and baked apples for dinner? Having leftovers for breakfast! I scored.
The other night I made an impromptu Indian dish that rocked. If you lean toward Asian in your cooking, I go for Indian these days. I love the artful way they prepare spices.. And I love the rich, slow-cooked sauces. It was coconut curry with potatoes and sweet potatoes. Anjali scarfed it down despite it being pretty heavy on the cayenne. I was pleasantly surprised.

Ok! I imagine you'll actually be home by the time you read this, but I just wanted to be in this space one more time.

Love!
Tiffanie

For Randi ~ Indian by Intuition: a Recipe

2010-03-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

Dear Randi ~

I was quite flattered by your recent blog post. As any blogger can do, I choose the face I put forward and the voice I use. Intentionality and mindfulness are practices I work on a great deal in my life, so they're an obvious focus of my writing.

(And, by the way, my personal blog is open and ready for business again after a brief .. re-collecting. (-; )

For cooking, as with any skill (such as writing plays or teaching students), I think it takes passion and practice. I can't help but cook because I love it. And by cooking, I get better at cooking. It is possible to hone your intuition. I had the great honor and luck to work with incredible, intuitive chefs weekly for several years at Three Stone Hearth kitchen. Simply by their presence and rapport with ingredients, Jessica Prentice, Porsche Combash, and Misa Koketsu, taught me volumes that textbooks could never attempt. I paid as close attention as my wits could muster.

One seemingly intuitive trick that Jessica taught me was about choosing ingredients that complement one another: pay attention to the produce and meats, spices and herbs, and fats, used by a particular regional/cultural cuisine. If you want to use coconut, for instance, it helps to start with cuisines in which coconuts are used commonly ~ say, Thai and not Irish. Then use the spices that that particular cuisine uses regularly ~ like lemongrass and ginger. Certain cultures (because of beliefs) would never use pork products in their dishes. Countries located by the ocean use a lot of seafood. A country's location on the globe affects the things they have had on hand down through the culinary ages. With our modern mechanized food system, that gives us watermelon and basil in January, it can take a little sleuthing to learn who traditionally ate what, where, when, and why. And that's where recipes and the internet are very useful ~ to learn these details. Once you know roughly the foods different cuisines use together with success, it is easier to browse the produce stands and your cupboards and know what will work together.

Porsche taught me about honing your intuition with measurements. Start with recipes. Every time you take a measurement ~ for instance, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, dump it into your hand and get to know it until you can tell what a quarter tsp looks like without the measuring device. ~ It's ok to double check! After a while, you will gain confidence in seasoning things without thinking about the measuring spoons.

And in a day-long croissant-making session, Misa inadvertently taught me that there is really no substitute for.. experience. In a single afternoon, there is simply only so much one can learn about a skill that takes a career's worth of work to master.

And now on to the recipe.
Last night I had a craving for comforting Indian-style creamy sauce. I had in my cabinet:
a large sweet potato,
two small white potatoes,
a large onion,
and a jar of coconut milk.
I also had brown rice.
Coconut oil,
Butter,
Sea salt,
Plus spices:
Cumin
Coriander
Powdered ginger
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Fennel seeds, and
Cayenne.
So I put the brown rice, water, and a tablespoon of coconut oil in a pot to cook, following the instructions on the package (takes an hour). I chopped the onion into pieces about as big as my thumbnail, and cut the potatoes into slices about the width of my pinky, and then quartered the bigger slices. I put a couple tablespoons of butter in a cast iron Dutch oven and turned the heat to medium-low. For time's sake, I threw all the veggies in at once. Then I bathed my daughter (you can skip this step; it's optional (-; ). Since they were on a pretty low heat, I didn't worry, and just glanced in to see them steaming every now and then. When Anjali was dry and in her favorite handed-down bubblegum pink bathrobe (which, in reference to your blog, Randi, I never would've kept if she hadn't dragged it from the bag and insisted I zip it up on her and then wouldn't take off for two days), I turned up the heat to medium, stirred the veggies, and stirred in: a tsp seasalt, a tsp cumin, a tsp coriander, a tsp powdered ginger, a tsp turmeric, a 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, and ... a thorough sprinkle of cayenne (less than 1/8 tsp). I let these cook for about five minutes and then poured in a can of coconut milk (don't use "lite" - use the real deal! Delicious *and* good for you!!). I brought it up to an enthusiastic simmer and put the lid on. Stirring occasionally, I let this cook until the potatoes were tender. At the end I added about 1/3 pound of ground lamb that I had seasoned with salt and pepper, and browned in a skillet with butter. But this could be a delicious and filling vegetarian meal, easily. You could even add some canned chick peas during the simmer, and/or a couple handfuls of chopped greens such as kale.

Spoon the coconut-veggie sauce over the rice in a bowl, and savor for yourself after your daughter finally goes to sleep. (-;

And thanks for the inspiration Randi!

Book

2010-02-26T20:12:00.001-08:00

I forgot to tell you - so excited, I just got the book, Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning ( http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/preserving_food_without_freezing_or_canning ) a classic which includes salting, sugaring, oiling, fermenting of course, and many other traditional methods. I'm ready to get down to business! I've had it with disappointingly moldy jars of painstakingly prepared tomatoes. I should have been preserving the oldschool way all along. That's why I've had mixed results with canning- it's just not my style.
Oh- reminds me I need to check the kombucha.. The last batch with citron oolong keeps getting rave reviews. I guess I'll have to do it again..
Love!

February 26

2010-02-26T19:45:00.001-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Austin-

Your Pad Austin sounds scrumptious !!!!

I can't wait!

Oh- but I read the ingredients on your fish sauce accidentally: hydrolyzed vegetable protein.. Can we make do with a different brand?? Sorry!! And - Yes, I have made mozzarella before, but you and I need to Perfect it together! I'm ready!!!

I have had such fun telling you about our food adventures.

I'm still attempting to bring more variety to the breakfast table. With Sealion's work schedule, it is our main family meal quite a few days a month; might as well be interesting! Yesterday I made sweet potato latkes, fried in lard and coconut oil. We ate them with yogurt but didnt need the customary applesauce because of the sweetness already in the latkes. Those are definitely going on the fantasy B&B menu for later. Yum. But not good reheated. The recipe called for way too many grated potatoes, so I had a bunch leftover. This morning I used them to make a scramble, with onion, chopped kale, and parsley. We added Parmesan. Yum.

Sealion's meatloaf the other night was deelicious- with your home-fermented cock-n-tail sauce on top! Anjali and I had leftovers of it, and more grated sweet potato, tonight. I think the meatloaf will become a regular menu item. :-) I have also brought the sourdough starter out of the fridge to wake it up and give it a go. I don't like to have bread around for every meal these days, but I like the idea of making it once a week for a meal, and I looove the ritual of kneading and baking. So I'd like to make it a regular thing. Maybe: pizza a couple times a month, homemade pasta every once in a while, and some good dinner rolls or breakfast rolls now and again...

The whole time you've been gone my main focus has been to develop more structure to my daily life with Anjali, do some weekly planning, and spend my time more intentionally. Keeping track in my planner, writing everything down, etc. And loose menu planning is a part of that. Just so we are not eating hotdogs n greens three nights a week, you know?

Ok, well, Anjali is officially in dreamland so I'll call this a letter and send it!

This ritual of writing you as she falls asleep has been so pleasant for me. Thanks so much for your audience. :-)

Woohooooo !

Tiffanie

February 23, aka Sardines for Breakfast!!

2010-02-25T20:15:00.001-08:00

Saul's got it right this time!! : broiled sardines with harissa (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harissa?wasRedirected=true ), and fried eggs. Delicious!! The harissa was the perfect tangy accompaniment to the sardines. My only complaint: I could've eaten twice as many as they served me. ;-)

I took this photo just for you. (kinda dark but you get the idea.)

February 22

2010-02-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Hi, Austin!

Having Teresa here was such rejuvenation for me. ! She left yesterday morning. We had sooo much girly fun, food fun, and just old-friend fun. I love her. I was inspired to make new recipes and create new dishes several times while she was here, and we ate out many times and had some killer food. The last day we got into the city and spent the bulk of he afternoon in Dolores Park - the weather smiled on us so that we even had some sun. We found several yummy-looking restaurants in the Mission that we want to go back to! Yippee!

A recap of good food:

For Valentine's Day I made flourless almond waffles with decadent dark n spicy chocolate sauce, then for dinner - Valentine Soup- roasted b-nut squash and beets pureed in a soup with greens. One day I made butternut squash pancakes that were stellar and delectable. That day we went to sonoma wine country and had a picnic at a vineyard. A gorgeous day! Friday night we had a progressive meal starting at Cesar for cocktails and appetizers- the highlight being the butternut-sage-stuffed cannelloni drenched in bechamel sauce!! Jesus!!! And an early dinner at Corso. We had a fresh mozzarella salad with The Most Delicious housemade mozzarella I've Ever Eaten!!! Cream was folded into it. I could've eaten the whole ball myself, but not much more because it was so rich. We really did it up right. Saturday we went to an authentic crepe place called Ti Couz in the Mission. I'd love to take you there. Then for dinner we ate at a place called Luna Park Cafe, where they served housemade corndogs (!) stuffed with three different sausages! It inspired me to try to perfect my own corndog concoction because I Loved corndogs when I was a kid! So get ready. ;-)
For our last home breakfast I created what I called Teresa Breakfast Salad - fried eggs atop a salad of bitter and spicy greens, (cold) sliced roasted beets, and toasted walnuts with a tangy creme fraiche dressing. Um... Yum!!! A weeklong feast! And now I can begin counting the days till you return to our kitchen. :-)

Cheers! Or as Anjali would say, "tziizz!"

Tiffanie

February 15

2010-02-24T19:31:00.001-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Dear Austin -
I'm having such a fabulous time with Teresa. So far lots of giggling, and food event after food event! The wine bottles are stacking up in the bin. Today we had the now-usual second-Monday breakfast at Venus. We all ordered the Winter Scramble - it had butternut squash in it.

We girls went for a picnic today - the weather was Gorgeous! We took take- out from Imperial Tea Court (delicious take out) -- pork -and -pumpkin- stuffed dumplings, yellow curry chicken, and handpulled noodles -- to Live Oak Park, and held down the root of a tree while Anjali showed us just how quickly she can run out of our sight - over and over again! It was amazing! One minute within an easy few steps and a grab, the next minute I'm literally running to catch up with her before she dips her toes in the creek clear across the park! Wow.!
I have not thrown my food principles totally to the wind, but have been dangling them casually out the window as we eat not 100%whole grain sourdough, chocolate (chocolate chocolate), and even let Anjali have more than one taste of Teresa's gelato today! She bacame an instant addict, as you could imagine.
For Valentine's Day Troy was working, but I tweaked the (flourless) almond -egg muffin recipe to become a waffle recipe - so it had almonds, eggs, sweet potato, butter and about half a pint of cream! Then the real kicker was a chocolate sauce of cream milk butter and very dark chocolate with more than a little kick of cayenne. I named it Decadent Dark and Hot Chocolate Sauce. Austin, we ate enough waffles with enough of that sauce to make our hearts beat techno! The chocolate was so intense! Then for dinner I made a soup I have named Valentine Soup: roasted butternut squash with roasted beets pureed with broth onions and garlic to a thick creamy blend the color of ... A valentine. With greens added. Sourdough walnut bread with mounds of butter. Delicioso if I do say so myself.
Tonight T and I watched Julie and Julia on the projector screen . We agree that we could do without the Julie character and have a full-length film just of Julia. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and Meryl Streep does a superb job in the role! Ok! Downstairs to finish dinner.

Love!

Tiffanie

February 12

2010-02-23T17:35:00.001-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Dear Austin--

We have been enjoying some hearty winter fare lately. We can't eat enough roasted squash! Butternut mainly, but the other night I think we had the best roasted acorn squash I've ever eaten. Speaking of roasted, youll love the new toaster oven! It is posh. We are adding some variety into our breakfasts - yesterday morning I made a miso soup (with lots of add-ins, so you'd like it - greens of course, carrots onions and garlic) and we poached some eggs in it. A nice break from delectable melt in your mouth bacon and gorgeous yellow scrambled eggs with greens! Ha ha!
I also made another variety of "pancake" - this time with grated apples. The recipe (another from moosewood) called for cottage cheese, but I used yogurt and tried to make do, but I honestly think next time I'll get cottage cheese; they were a little fragile... With the lovely egg whites shown below(whisked by hand!!), yolks, a liiittle bit of sprouted spelt flour, cinnamon and a couple tsps of sucanat sugar, they were delicious. And made excellent cold snacks.
I've been feeling the need for huge mugs of (unsweetened) hot cocoa lately - that's my way of babying myself at home. It helps.

: )
Tonight I bought Julie and Julia and snuggled up by myself and watched it. That helps too. ; )

Perfect egg whites!!

I love you, dear friend!

Tiffanie

February 6

2010-02-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Dear Austin,

Hard to believe another week has already gone by. I bet not for you - that each day has been jam-packed, but for us living the day-to-day life back at home, it was time to go to Saturday farmers' market today. And - didn't we just go? It was a day of intermittent downpour with astonishingly bright blue swaths of sky and intense sunshine. The vendors were thankful for the sun for several reasons, I'm sure. Papi and Anjali played in the puddles at the playground as I made the rounds in a very business-like fashion. The basket got happily loaded down with winter cellar-type items: onion and garlic, acorn squash, apples, radishes, sweet potatoes, a huge bag of carrots (for my own fermenting), and then of course the now-requisite big bag-o-greens. I went straight for County Line's braising mix this time. It is a beautiful rainbow. Lamb shoulder from Highland Hills. I hit up Massa for a bag of raw almonds to make some more of that addictive soaked and roasted almond butter, but they had sold out! I will fill you in, however: he gave me a sample of their almond butter, and (ours is better....!)...it only made me wish all the more that I was toting a pound home to make my own.

We tag-teamed dinner tonight so I could go for a run. Braised the lamb shoulder with red wine and beef bone broth (which is still simmering away quietly on the back burner now!), onion, fennel bulb, carrots and sweet potato (and a bay leaf - ya never know! Why not?!) Oh, Austin, this was a winner. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the broth was heavenly. Anjali drank cup after cup of it and kept fishing more carrots out of my bowl. :-) Sealion served me up a heaping bowlful and I did everything but lick it clean. I even sucked the marrow out of the bone - a carnal delicacy that has seemed too carnivorous for me until now. It was satisfying.

In front of the fire - the epitome of a winter feast!

Love.

Tiffanie

February 4

2010-02-04T20:49:00.001-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Had my required weekly date with my artist self tonight- went to Cafe Gratitude ( if you're not looking to get full, they have some nice teas, salads, etc. And I personally like the atmosphere. It might be cheesy but so am I.) where I had a huge bowl of tea, a tasty salad and a cacao almond butter ball with cayenne (i love those!). And I took my paper, pencils and markers and drew and colored a picture the whole time. Got totally absorbed the way a kid does and just went with it. It was nice. :-) very .... Soothing .

Tonight for dinner: the last of the goose broth. ! Roasted butternut squash pureed with sauteed onions in the broth, butter and coconut oil, Indian spices again (we wanted a replay of the soup I made for the baby mama!), then chunks of roasted beet, and beet greens. No coconut milk which is what really made the other so creamy but oh well. I think it's still stellar (because of the broth. ;-). Feels good to be humming away in the kitchen with a fire in the hearth as more wind and rain rage outside.

Soak up that sun - ozone hole or no. Bring it back as kisses on your smiling cheeks.

Lying beside the sleepy-suckling babe as the simmering soup awaits my tongue and tummy downstairs.

Love!!
Tiffanie

February 3

2010-02-03T22:07:00.001-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Dear Austin,

It was a "what can we make with what's on hand" kinda night tonight.
My favorite. I chopped a large onion, sliced and cut into quarter
pieces a turnip, and chopped small a HuGe bag of mixed greens -
several different colors of chard, different kales, bok choy,
collards. We had a large, grilled burger patty leftover from the
other night. And three eggs from the lovely backyard ladies. Sauteed
the onion till soft in butter with some bacon grease to flavor.
Tossed in the turnip, then piled and folded in the greens. So many
that I had to do it in stages. Covered and let them steam and cook
till perfect, stirring thoroughly. Seasalt, red pepper flakes and
ground black pepper. Then chopped up the burger into little pieces
and mixed it in. Made three little holes in the greens and cracked
open an egg in each. Covered and steam till the yolks were barely firm.
Scooped into bowls so that the egg stays atop a thick bed of veggies.
Ate by the fire.
Sooo good!!!

We miss you, Austin.
Love.
Tiffanie

January 30 - February 2

2010-02-02T21:39:00.001-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Farmers' Market Saturday:
We remembered to bring our own containers and utensils and got two orders of curry chicken at the Thai booth (yummy!!). Ate them and spectated as Jali played in the play area. She would graze by occasionally for a chunk of kabocha squash or spoonful of brown rice before she was off to socialize again. I think she could spend all day on the swing, only slowing down for booby-pitstops.
Butternut squash and stir fry greens from Happy Boy,
Baby mustard greens and dandelion greens from County Line - I'm really liking their greens best these days. I wanna remember to go there first next time. Apples for Sealion, tangerines for Anjali, onion and garlic. ( was that all??)
With the butternut I made the soup for new mom Tatiana, we ate mustard greens on the burgers last night, sauteed stir fry greens to go with our eggs this morning. Yum. A big mess of them done up right. And the bacon that I bought from Highland Hills a week or so ago - I cooked it nice and slow and it looked like it would be chewy with a lot of meat, but bite into it and it breaks off meltingly like I love. I gave it a thumbs up; Sealion is hooked on Niman Ranch bacon.
Tonight with me and the pup : leftover burger from last night and leftover potatoes from yesterday Venus breakfast.
This afternoon for our backyard time I took snacks of raw Gruyere ( my favorite right now!) and cold baked sweet potato. We sat on the bench out in the yard, munched our snack, and watched and listened to a little gang of tiny birds (including one hummingbird) flutter (and buzz) into the yard to browse our trees. Anjali was able to connect the noise I make for her lavender toy bird with these real live creatures in the open air. It felt good.

Re: February 1

2010-02-02T21:37:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I experimented again with the veggie pancake idea. This time essentially making potato cakes with butternut squash. Um, yum! Shredded goatcheese that oozed like pizza goodness, cinnamon, and sesame seeds for a nice little crunch. Deelish! With our hen eggs and the color of the squash, they were a gorgeous turmeric color that actually colored the oil they were fried in. Pretty.
With the bulk of the butternut I made a soup for our friends Tatiana and Seth, who just had a baby. I flavored it with Indian spices- lots that are helpful for lactation like fenugreek and fennel seed, coconut milk (also good for mama's milk) and loads of butter (she's vegetarian so I left out the broth). Kombu for nutrients. It was such creamy dreamy goodness I had to pull myself away from the spatula as I poured it into a jar. Soooo good!
Tonight Sealion kicked ASS on burgers n fries! Lamb-bison patties that were killer! We put TSH mayo (do you not know about my *thing* for real homemade mayo?? I eat it by the spoonful...), mustard, and mustard greens on them. Then thick- cut potatoes and sweet potatoes fried in lard that were Perfect with a capital P! Soft n creamy on the inside, crisp on the outside. Oh. My god.

Sending lovin from the home kitchen.
Tiffanie

January 28

2010-01-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Hi Austin-

We went into the city on Wednesday for a change of scenery on the first whole sunny day we've had since you left. It was fun . We ate breakfast at a Slow Food-recommended place that I actually don't recommend unless you are searching for the only grits and biscuits in the Bay Area. They serve something called Georgia Ice Cream which is a bowl of grits with sunny side up eggs on top. You'd think it'd be good. We are just spoiled. It felt very authentic Southern greasy spoon; I guess I just wasn't in the mood for that. A classic cheap looking diner, with the woodwork painted pepto bismol pink and old antique dusty pig pictures and ceramics - the kind where the smiling pig is wearing a bowtie and bib. The Pork Store was the name.

Anyway!!

Back at home, I charred a batch of meaty bones I was trying to make broth from (did Sealion leave the lid open over night, I wonder??), and stunk up the whole house for days. We ate off of Saul's carry out for a couple dinners- needed my liver and mashed potato fix. And picked up something from TSH that tided us over for two more nights. Lamb shepherds pie. Filling. Those shepherds wouldn't need to eat again for days!
My latest concoction excitement though is that I finally made the date - coconut energy balls I was talking about. That Cuisinart of yours is so nice to use! They practically made themselves! As if they were hard in the first place. 1 1/2 cup pitted little gooey sweet dates (must get more tomorrow at the farmers' market!!!!) and probably a cup of coconut butter (Jess's recipe [from Full Moon Feast] calls for only 1/2 cup, but that recipe is way too sweet for my taste. As it is I'm still trying to figure out how to cut the sweet.) A generous tbsp (let's call it 2) of melted coconut oil. That's all. Blended. Then see how quick it takes you to eat enough to make you sick. Me? No time flat.
My favorite way to eat it: nestled in a spoonful of almond butter. ;-). Oh. It is divine.
I used a melon baller to make tiny little balls that I rolled in oiled hands, and I'm keeping them in the fridge. I'd like to experiment with the recipe to use less coconut butter. But any other nut would require soaking and toasting which would make them much more labor intensive (and still expensive.) As it is it is so easy; it just requires an expensive ingredient that I have to make a Whole Foods run to procure. But they really pack a punch! One little nugget is plenty. And for Anjali, who loves them, I cut one ball into thirds.

Oh, I forgot to say that the recipe calls for rolling the balls in coconut flakes but I don't really like that part so I just mixed a little in while the stuff was still in the Cuisinart. They add subtle texture, but I don't feel like a cow chewing grass for hours as I might otherwise. Oh! The excitement! I know reading all this mundanity makes you wanna hop on a plane and fly home right now!

Love.Tiffanie

(oh geez this blogger really gives me fits..) (the more i try to fix it, the more it pisses me off..)

January 25 ~ Almond Buttered Up

2010-01-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Dear Austin:

Well. All I've got to say is that making almond butter was a terribly baaaad idea! Anjali and I ate so much of it before it was even out of the food processor that I think we both got sick! I don't even wanna smell a hint of almond.... Until tomorrow! It's a good thing almonds are so expensive or I might turn into an almond butter girl too wide to fit out the door in no time!

almond butter face

I had to roast the almonds in the oven because the toaster oven is officially kaput. And they turned out a little roastyer than usual. So delicious I considered not making them into butter, but the Cuisinart was already out (I tell you, that thing is just inviting to use. I could see using it daily just because it feels so good. Solid.). Coconut oil - about that much. Seasalt. No honey.
Addicting. We are only allowed to make it once when you get back just so you know how good it is. It is bad news, I tell you!
Raining cats and dogs out there as I type.
I think there is another plus to using so much lard during the winter other than deliciousness - the vitamin D! I haven't gotten the least bit melancholy this season (except when I said goodbye to you on Skype yesterday! My stomach felt quite the pang..!). Praise the lard! In Sally Fallon's power point presentation she has an old school poster from the 50's that shows a happy, laughing family (50's style) and says "they're happy because they eat lard!" true stuff!
Roasted chicken, rice with loads of butter, and broccoli await me at the table. Had to put little peapod to bed early ~ so sleepy!

I love you!
Tiffanie

January 21-23

2010-01-24T09:45:00.001-08:00

Have I written in a few days?? I had an adventurous trip to the Farmers' Market on Thursday: it was cooooold and drizzling. A TERRIBLE day to go to the market. But our cupboards were bare, and Eduardo (of Morell's Bread) actually wrote a little email to his regular customers guilting us into coming out: "the market's open rain or shine, warm or cold... come support the market ~ one of the aspects of living in this area that makes it so cool." Well, ok! So Papi and Anjali stayed cozy by the fire, and I had a thrilling jaunt down the street. There were fewer than 10 vendors ~ a skeleton crew ~ and it was so bitter-ass miserable out there, I really felt obligated to buy from each one! I skipped the yogurt and Riverdog. Bought eggs, bacon and bratwurst from Highland Hills because the girl said the brats were her favorite, and that the seasoning on the bacon was just right this batch. Happy Boy: huge bag of braising mix ~ which they call "stir fry mix", and carrots. Oranges ~ delicious oranges!. bread from Eduardo, just cuz. And darn! I had to buy a croissant to support the poor vendor who was crouching inside the back of his topper-truck with rain blowing in on his pretzels. Poor thing! I just toasted the croissant and pulled it apart bite by bite and let it melt on my tongue and it was so worth the white flour splurge!

Yesterday I played around with the Moosewood Cookbook recipe to try to mimic the veggie pancakes at Venus. I used the carrots I got from Happy Boy. They were tasty for the first try, but they need some tweaking ~ spice, for one thing. And actually more veggie. The recipe called for 4 cups of grated veg to 4 eggs, 1/3 cup flour, and 1 cup cheese. I thought that they would fall apart and taste just like veg. But as it happened, the carrots cooked down surprisingly a lot, and they were more like pancakes with carrots as an ingredient, rather than having the carrot be the star of the show. Good though. For dinner I made a simple miso soup using our Christmas goose broth (only one jar left!), sliced turnips and garlic, grated ginger, and matchsticks of celeriac, plus a couple pork-ginger-scallion Three Stone Hearth patties that I cut up into little cubes. Then egg-plopped it (poached eggs in the simmering soup), and added brown rice miso to each bowl. It was nice and warming ~ it rained all day again yesterday.

Today the sun has shown most of the day, with a few small showers, and actually one nice one that came down pretty hard while the sun was still shining bright and hot. I bet there was a rainbow somewhere! :-)

Farmers' Market today, again by myself ~ more of those good oranges (I think the persimmon season is done for me. I ate 3-4 persimmons last Saturday and made my tummy sick. The next day when I sliced one open it did not look appetizing. I don't want to burn out on them! I want to enjoy them again next winter! I passed by the pudding-soft persimmon vendor guy today.. I hoped he didn't notice..). More dates! ~ Sealion has been getting all munchy on them, and Anjali and I have come to depend on them! the little delicious ones were on sale. :-) Perhaps Papi won't hear that I got more.... ; ) Sweet potatoes, apples, and broccoli and another heaping bag of greens from Happy Boy. I am getting to where I feel like I need them at least once a day. They do my body good! I was noticing today: I think I often buy things like apples or potatoes in threes....So today I purposefully bought only two sweet potatoes..

Well, the babe awakes.

Keep loving it, Austin! Keep breathing in deep.

~tiffanie

January 18

2010-01-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

Monday: we ate at Venus for breakfast. Since it's MLK day, the place was packed and they were serving the expanded weekend brunch menu - bonus! I ordered the Indian Brunch, which I've never had for fear of disappointment, and was: deeply delighted! There were two "pancakes" of grated carrots, zucchini, and parsnip, that reminded me of light fritters or latkes (not deep fried), with a delicious spicy mango sauce. I devoured them! [I remember a recipe for something similar (zucchini pancakes) in Moosewood Cookbook that I am inspired to play around with for breakfast. I love veggies for breakfast!] An egg scramble with tomatoes, chiles, and cilantro, two small chipatis that were like yummy handmade whole wheat tortillas (good for slathering with melting butter!), and then a banana raita ~ yogurt with chunks of banana, and many mustard seeds so that it had a crunch. Anjali kept dipping her finger in the mango sauce, making a pained face as she stuck out her tongue, then dipping it in again. I felt her pain. ; )
It poured rain today! Downpours like I've never seen here! And Papi had an evening shift.
For dinner Anjali and I had a Fearless Frank hotdog (she ate more than half!!! Next time she gets her own damn dog!) and a big mess of greens. I sauteed the greens in bacon grease and lard, with several crushed garlic cloves, and then at the end poured probably 2 tbsp of cream on them for some good comfort food. They did indeed remind me of creamed spinach. Yum. Eating at the coffee table, Anjali pulled over the Wassail Kraut jar so that it spilled a puddle of juice on the table. Not wanting to waste the goodness, I leaned over and started slurping. She thought it was so funny, she tried it. We took turns. After she licked and slurped, she would push my head down to do it again. We sucked it all up and poured more on our plate to slurp. It was a great mommy-daughter bonding moment. ; )

January 17

2010-01-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Austin!!
We had one of those hilariously stupid arguments today that wouldn't have dragged on nearly as long had you been here. Hungry Tiffie strikes again! :-P
We had the best bacon(!), and eggs-n-greens for breakfast. Yum to the yum-yum!
Arlene was passing thru at dinnertime, so she ate with us: Sealion grilled goat burgers with goat cheese on top (goat goat goat!) and arugula, and I roasted gold beets with olive oil, and more arugula as a salad with walnuts. The goat (goat goat!) was delicious. We all agreed that we would not have guessed the meat. Flavorful, but not even as gamey as lamb can be sometimes, and I love lamb. Delicious!
Another gray drizzly day. You are not missing anything around here so far!
Keep having fun!
T

January 16

2010-01-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)
Hi Austin!
Today we were going to ride bikes down to Tacubaya but guess what??! I couldn't find that set of keys! so... We went to our good ol' standby, Saul's.
Sealion - corned beef reuben, and cream of tomato soup. Jali And I - cream of tomato soup and scrambled eggs. A side of potatoes that were so cold I should have sent them back; as it is I brought em home and will just have to reheat them in bacon grease till they taste good. And more salt.
Went to the Saturday farmers' market late enough to get some deals! Apples for Papi and for Anjali, crisp persimmons for Mommy, a big ol bag of braising mix from County Line farm, because theirs didn't have that silly filler stuff in there - all baby kales and collards, and beets just cuz they looked good. They also hooked us up with a load of greens for the chickens. I got two of the pudding-soft persimmons - one for you and one for me, and ate both of them right then and there, no excuses. Well, I did give some to Anjali. I'm not sure any made it into her mouth because she had it aaalll over her face to make quite a grand impression on everyone in the play area. She made some buddies anyway. They played parachutes with plastic grocery bags and didn't even mind that she joined in and took one. She had fuuun.!
For dinner I roasted a small butternut squash and thawed some of the leftover smoked pulled pork. Lard and butter. Sauteed onion and celeriac, lots of minced garlic, spices- cinnamon, smoked paprika, powdered ginger, chili flakes and cayenne, then chopped up three dates and tossed them in. I meant for it to be kind of like an exotic barbecue... I think the pork had a little freezer burn bc it was dry and sucked up the fat. we just spooned butter into our bowls and ate it like ketchup or something. If I had had broth thawed, I would have added some. That would have made it. The taste, however, was great. And anytime you can eat butter by the blob, it's worth it.

Love you sweetie!
T

January 15

2010-01-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Dear Austin -
The sun never showed his head today and it was chilly. A hot chocolate and sit-by-the-fire-all-day kind of day (for Berkeley wusses like us, that is;-) ). Sealion had the day off, and literally the only time we left the fireside was to pee or refill on warm beverage. This morning we had cooked-to-order eggs: Papi - over easy, Jali and I - scrambled. And Papi's Famous Hash Browns - sweet potatoes and something like Yukon Golds, in the cast iron with bacon grease, of course.

Long naps were taken. The knitting project started.

The day warranted soup ~ as so many do, in my opinion. I roasted two small delicata squash, a large turnip (my new favorite vegetable!), and a head of garlic with olive oil. I sauteed a large onion and some slices of celeriac, used a quart of our Christmas goose bone broth, a small potato, sea salt and pepper. Sliced the turnip, cut the delicata into big hunks that included the skin, and squeezed the garlic in. I sliced up two of those Prather Ranch bockworst and fried them so they became tasty little crispy niblets like you showed me.
Oh, Austin. You really missed a fantastic meal. It was phenomenal! That soup ~ incredible ! I spooned up some broth into a little cup for Anjali. After a sip she took the cup across the room, I think she thought she had happened on the good stuff by accident and didn't want us to take it away once we found out! She drank it down and asked for helping after helping more!
You know we ate next to the fire! Set up your little brass-topped table as close to the hearth as we could get it.
So good.
Love!

What We Ate (while you were gone)

2010-01-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

Dear Austin ~ I hope you don't mind: I'm using writing you while you are traveling as a way to get on my food blog more often. When we lived with B & A, we kept a calendar magneted to the fridge and would fill in day by day the meals we created. It was fun! For a long while I have wanted to do that on here ~ to see how we eat as the seasons change, things we cook often and things we should cook more often, to monitor just exactly how much we cook at home (and how much we don't) etc., but just haven't done it. I think this may be a way. And a fun way.

Love.

January 14, 2010

last night Papi worked an evening shift, so Anjali and i ate by ourselves.

i heated up a pint of spaghetti sauce from the freezer that i had made a while back. lots of ground beef, lots of sauteed onion, and an undertone of roasted acorn squash. when i made it originally, i expected the squash to be more of an outspoken flavor, but it simply adds a warm sweetness and thickness. and we had tinkyada brown rice pasta shells, with plenty of olive oil and butter. we ate sitting on the floor at the leather coffee table. anjali went through using every utensil available before settling on her hands to feed me pasta shell after pasta shell. she gave that corner of the table a much-needed spa treatment with her butter and olive oil handprints.

that one long Indian Raag Kirwani that you never can bear to sit through came on the stereo and i giggled to myself as i listened to it all the way through. ;-)

i employed your method and your french press to steep my nettle infusion overnight. thank you! :-)

the full press of dark dark tea sitting on the counter reminds me of you.

Wassail Kraut

2009-11-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

Made by Ciara, Austin, and me, the mind behind the spice mix in this recipe is all Ciara ~ a ferment master who earned her title from many a Friday fermenting at Three Stone Hearth kitchen! We put it in the crock yesterday, and it should be close to ready right around Christmas. Probably perfect by New Year!

7 decent-sized heads of cabbage ~ 5 green, 2 purple

2 apples ~ preferably crisp and tart, like pink lady

1/4 cup, plus 2 T coarse sea salt

2 T whole coriander seeds

1 t whole cloves

1 t cardamom seeds, taken from the pods, but not ground

6 cinnamon sticks

Quarter the cabbages and core them. Shred. Massage with salt (to taste. It should taste salty.) until the leaves start to lose their stiffness and liquid collects in the bottom of the bowl. Core the apples and slice thin. Toast the coriander, cloves, and cardamom. Mix the apple and spices in with the cabbage, attempting not to break or mush the apples. Pack into a clean crock or jar, with a weight, so that the liquid rises an inch above the vegetable matter.

Open for the holidays and share with loved ones!

Food, Inc.

2009-06-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

Here's one worth watching: the movie, Food, Inc., due in theaters tomorrow.

If you have been wondering what all the fuss is about organics, food safety/security, "local" foods, and why it is they expect you to pay several times more for the "same product" if it is labeled organic, this will be a high quality introduction for you. Seeing a movie is a pretty painless form of education. From this interview by CUESA, it sounds as if most of the information will not be shocking to those of us "in the know" about food issues. But I think it's always wise to keep myself reminded about why it is I do what I do, and don't do what I don't do, and to support the folks who are putting forth the effort to get the information out, also so that when someone says, "Whatta you think about this?" I can have a fruitful conversation about it. Because what we eat is so important for so many reasons. It affects everything.

Roasted Roots

2009-04-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the ways I've used all those carrots.

This simple method works with many the root veggie ~ try parsnips and turnips this way! It's easy and crowd pleasing. Since moving to California, I have developed a great appreciation for fennel, as it grows wild here even in the medians. It works like onion, but adds a fresh, mild anise flavor.

Roasted Beets and Carrots with Fennel

serves four as a side dish

1 tbsp butter (don't be afraid to use more!)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 medium-sized beets, scrubbed

2 large carrots, scrubbed

1 regular-sized fennel bulb

sea salt to taste ~ start with 1/2 tsp

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the beets, and chop them again in half in a way that makes roughly uniform chunks. Do the same with the carrots, again with the goal of making roughly equal-sized pieces with the beets. This will help them cook in about the same time. Cut the fennel in half lengthwise, and then slice it lengthwise from there into thin pieces.

In a roasting dish (I love earthenware ~ I've found every piece I own at thrift stores for cents!!), place the beet and carrot chunks and the fats. Cover. Put the dish in the oven and roast, stirring a couple times to coat the veggies in butter and oil. When the veggies begin to yield to the press of fork tines ~ maybe 20 minutes, add the fennel slices, stir and cover again. Roast for about 10 more minutes, or until the veggies are tender but not mushy.

the best

2009-04-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

I devoured Molly Wizenberg's book, A Homemade Life. The story compelled me. Tales of Paris, and all the food food food romanced me. I am pleased with how it has inspired me to write even more in my blogs, including this food blog which had cobwebs on it from Anjali's arrival in October. I look around at my life and see the poetry, I smell the fragrances, and I appreciate the beauty, and love, in a fresh way. What a gift! There are also many recipes that I'm looking forward to trying ~ one for buckwheat pancakes (I loove pancakes), a cornbread recipe that has cream that oozes through it (love cornbread and cream), some fun salad concoctions and too many cake recipes to name. I've always been afraid of baking cakes, that I just didn't have what it takes to be a cake baker (she is a cake baker ~ with weights and precise measurements; I'm a soup maker ~ add a little of this, a blob of that until it tastes good), but with her zeal and reassurance, I think I might have the nerve to give one a try. Perhaps that last chocolate cake recipe with only a tablespoon of flour! Sounds like a good place to start.

But now that I'm walking away from the story ~ finished it in just three enthusiastic evenings of bedtime reading ~ I think the best thing I've taken away from A Homemade Life upon initially setting it down is = I've started eating chocolate with my bread. Without a special occasion ~ other than the occasion to eat chocolate with bread. ;-)

This morning I fried my eggs, over medium, and then a slice of 100% rye sourdough bread (no caraway seeds) in the leftover butter (plus perhaps a pat). Then while it was still hot and bubbling with butter, I laid two squares of Green & Black's Dark 70% on top (you wouldn't think that rye would be good with chocolate, but I urge you to give it a try ~ real rye, not that white stuff with the caraway seeds that supposedly indicate that it's "rye"). They melted into puddles with just the little G&B leaf imprint left of the solid rectangle by the time I got to the table. If that isn't a way to start your day off right, I don't know what is.

Thanks, Molly! :-D

Sweet Potato Soup with Greens

2009-03-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

I love soup. I could probably prepare and enjoy a soup every night of the year. A base of some good broth, whatever produce we brought home from the farmers' market plus maybe some meat ~ that's the soup. And it's always good. This winter season I have been attached to making soup this way: lay down a base flavor ~ usually starting by simmering a chopped onion in the broth; then a veggie such as stewed tomatoes, roasted winter squash, carrots, or in this case, roasted sweet potatoes with the skins. I puree that. Then I add a chopped or chunked veggie that adds texture. This often includes a dark leafy green. We eat a lot of dark leafy greens. They are oftentimes delicious in soups. Last night's ingredients were intended for a soup to take to a friend who recently had a healthy baby boy. But we sure did enjoy it. ;-) The three different dried peppers cut the sweetness of the potatoes three different ways. Leftover, it was probably even better.

Sweet Potato Soup with Greens

serves 3-4 depending on your sweet potatoes, the water you add, and the size of your bowls

A quart of good chicken broth ~ homemade or of equal quality, or homemade veggie broth

A mess of sweet potatoes roasted at 400 until soft, cooled, then sliced into 1/2 inch pieces ~ as many as you can fit between your two hands without dropping them (before they're roasted) ~ I used "Japanese sweet potatoes", but use your favorite, or what's on hand. In America, Sweet Potato = Yam = same thing.

Three large cloves of garlic ~ two crushed well with the side of your chef's knife, the other sliced thin

Dark leafy greens ~ I used what they call a "braising mix" at the farmers' market = an assortment of young kales, collard, chard, etc. ~ equal in precooked volume to the potatoes, chiffonade

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Cayenne

*Fresh* red pepper flakes

Smoked paprika

Sea salt to taste ~ start with 1/2 teaspoon

Water as needed

In a pot or dutch oven, warm the chicken broth slowly up to a boil. Add the crushed garlic and simmer until the garlic is soft. Add the sweet potato slices and simmer. Puree till smooth (there's that handheld blender again!). Toss in greens and garlic. Cover. Simmer until greens get a little darker than just wilted. Add vinegar, spices, and sea salt, adjusting as needed. If it's too thick, add some water and bring back up to temperature. I think it's better at the consistency of thick soup, as opposed to a soupy baked potato... This is hearty.

Serve with a salad and some craggy hunks of bread to dip in the soup.

Read about that charming label.

Apples for Anjali

2009-03-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

Fuji.

bake, covered.

puree.

fill ice cube trays.

pop out and

store in freezer bags.

pull out individual cubes

thaw to serve,

or leave frozen for teething.

inspired

2009-03-29T15:52:00.001-07:00

(as in ~ i am inspired)

i ordered this book and it came in the mail yesterday. i had other things on my mind to accomplish yesterday evening after helping the babe to sleep, but i at least wanted to crack the book open to take a little sneak peek! and i read 100 pages. guess i like it. ;-) full of love, of family, of life, and of food. and full of delicious recipes that, now that i come to think of it, mostly are falling into the dessert category so far. i recommend.

A Homemade Life , by Molly Wizenberg

squashmoosh

2009-03-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

say it. "squashmoosh." purse your lips when you say it and let the "sh" sound trail a little long. it is as yummy to eat as it is to say.

i roasted a simple butternut squash with nothing really in mind to do with it. once it cooled, and i tasted it, it really didn't do that much for me compared to the many winter squashes i have delighted in. i looove em. so i thought i'd make a pureed type of side dish, adding a little sucanat to make it more pleasing. but first i added butter. lots of butter, like almost a whole stick. then i tasted again. what?! it tasted so sweet, it no longer needed sugar! dashes of cinnamon and sea salt = it was deeeelicious. now, i know that vegan sympathizers and hold-overs of the low fat epidemic will insist that a roasted winter squash is perfectly tasty without anything added to it. i agree; it would have been good with nothing but its wholesome natural flavor. but with the added butter, it was *deeply satisfying.*

mmmm!

astonishingly already thinking about what to feed the tot, this will definitely be in the winter repertoire. and i know it seems too simple to write a recipe about, but ~ try it. i am in love with my handheld blender and rarely use the stand-up blender anymore for these kinds of things. so that's what i recommend (i found mine second hand for 99 cents!!), but a blender works, too, just so long as you leave the lid open if pureeing hot squash and protect yourself by covering it with a towel. or wait till it's cooled and heat it up again to add the butter.

Squashmoosh

serves 4 - 6 as a side dish

butternut squash

butter

sea salt

cinnamon

cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and place face down on a buttered baking dish. roast at 400 until very soft when pierced with a fork. let cool. scoop out the seed and discard. scoop out the flesh into a pot and mash by fork, or puree with a handheld blender (or scoop into a blender, puree, then transfer to the pot). warm gently, add butter, and incorporate as it melts deliciously. add sea salt and cinnamon to taste.

enjoy!

French Toast du Jour

2008-10-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling the need to pamper myself this morning. Before I even got out of bed (true to foodie form), I was envisioning and tasting French Toast. Here's what I came up with, a Pampering Breakfast for One (well ~ two, technically. ;-) ).

1 1/2 slices of bread ~ I used mixed grain sourdough from Morell, b/c that's what was in the pantry; I think something with dried fruit might be nice. .
one egg (make sure it's organic, if not raised on pasture by someone you trust)
a spoonful (or so) of cream (I used divine Claravale raw cream) or crème fraîche ~ if you are avoiding dairy, or don't have access to organic, I think whole fat coconut milk would make a fine substitute.
a spoonful of organic maple syrup
a dash of sea salt
a dash of cinnamon
almonds chopped finely (see my explanation about soaking nuts here)
organic cream, or crème fraîche, and maple syrup for drizzling
extra cinnamon for sprinkling

Whisk the egg with the 5 ingredients that follow in a shallow mixing bowl. Cut the bread into diagonal quarters, and soak in the egg mixture, turning to soak both sides, while you're warming your skillet. Use a thick skillet (you know I love cast iron) to hold the heat, add butter (don't be afraid ~ add a few tablespoons! and ~ if dairy-free, use coconut oil) and heat until a little drop of egg mixture sizzles as it hits. But don't let the butter brown. When the bread is adequately saturated, fry those babies in the butter. Spoon the little pieces of almond that stay in the mixing bowl onto the top of the pieces of bread as they sizzle in the butter. Turn when the pieces are nicely browned. If the skillet is the right temperature, it will only take a few minutes on each side.

Serve drizzled with cream or crème fraîche (you read right. don't be afraid [as long as it's organic]; just pretend you're French.), and maple syrup. Garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

One egg soaks about 1 1/2 standard slices of dense bread. If making this for more than one person, use this as a gauge. My measurements are always approximate and of-the-moment; you can do the same, giving or taking as you taste fit.

Summertime Tapenade

2008-09-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Technically, this is not a true tapenade. But the bold presence of the black olives made me call it that. I think it has a nice ring..

chopped perfectly ripe tomatoes (don't even think about making this in the winter! use olive-oil-soaked sun-dried tomatoes if you do. and leave out the cucumber.)

~ I have discovered dry-farmed tomatoes this season. oh. my god. ~

diced Armenian cucumber (discovered that this season, too.. )

minced garlic

chopped oil-cured black olives, with the brine set aside

freshly toasted cumin

freshly toasted coriander

sea salt to taste

chili flakes to taste

Combine these ingredients to meet your needs. I used enough small early girl tomatoes to fill my two hands, and diced enough cucumber to fill it out nicely, but not densely (then I ate the rest of the cucumber slice-by-slice as I prepared dinner!). I minced 4 regular-sized garlic cloves, and chopped.. 8 olives, because that's what was in the fridge. I toasted a little more than a teaspoon of cumin seeds, and a little less than a teaspoon of coriander. Toasting spices brings out their flavor; I can't recommend this highly enough. It's really worth the few extra minutes of effort and attention. You will smell when they're done. Trust your nose. Add the reserved olive brine to your taste. Then the sea salt and chili flakes.

We ate this atop grilled lamb chops.

Then the next day, after it had had a chance to meld overnight, I ate the remainder on my scrambled eggs.

Yum!

Nourishing Sea Veggie and Greens Soup with Coconut

2008-09-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

When I need deep nourishment, my body calls out for sea vegetables and real, homemade broth.

Here's a Thai-inspired bowl I ate this evening.

Serves 1 big bowl.

real, homemade chicken broth (or, in my fortunate case, broth from Three Stone Hearth)

1/3 cup coconut milk

1-2 Tbs coconut oil (don't be afraid of this oil. so good for you.)

a small handful of arame, or whatever sea veggie you have or like

1 tsp kelp powder

fish sauce, to taste

grated fresh ginger, to taste

large handful chopped leafy greens ~ collard, kale.. dandelion.. whatever you like or is on hand

a sprinkling of powdered gelatin (Bernard Jensen is a good brand), to even greater soothe and encourage digestion

Measure out enough chicken broth to almost fill your favorite large soup bowl. Put this in a small pot (or my favorite tiny cast-iron skillet). Add the coconut milk and oil, and the arame. Once it warms close to a simmer, sprinkle in the kelp powder and gelatin and let them dissolve on top before stirring them in. Add the other seasonings ~ fish sauce and ginger ~ to taste. When the broth comes to a light boil, add the chopped greens and let these simmer till they are wilted and their color turns slightly. Adjust seasoning as necessary, and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if your tummy is up for it. Sit down, turn off the noise, and bring this bowl up to your face to let the steam warm you flushed. Drink and chew and be well.

the passion of the beet

2008-08-21T13:56:00.001-07:00

love

2008-08-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Figs

with such complex flavor,

you taste spices and a hint of brown sugar.

2008-07-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

ode to apricots

2008-07-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have never known apricots until I tasted them this season. I mean, *really* known them. This summer I have had a passionate love-affair with apricots straight from the Farmers' Market. Sometimes a few make it home. Their skin is soft and supple, easily dented, and sometimes barely holding in their succulent juice. You can tear them in half with no work at all, using your fingers! And to place that flesh in your mouth. . it simply melts. These fruits need no dressing up; they are a work of art in themselves. In the past, apricots have been a work-horse of dried fruits, similar to raisins, filling out trail mixes to give them some bulk, but mostly picked-over and definitely unappreciated. And then I tasted a real apricot!

When I went to the Farmers' Market this week, the guy at the apricot stand, who recognized me as a regular, informed me that this was the last week for apricots. So last night I made a special dinner for apricots, in their honor.

I braised a couple of lamb shoulder blades in chicken broth, with a few Tbs balsamic vinegar, and some red wine vinegar to round it out. And about 6 cloves of garlic, coursely chopped. With plenty of freshly ground pepper, and some sea salt. This took about 45 minutes. In an earthenware dish I roasted quartered apricots with just a pat of butter. Unbelievable. They didn't take long because they were already so soft and juicy. Roasting them gave them a gorgeous crust. To serve, I covered the lamb in a bit of the braising juice, and spread them with the apricots. Divine!

Thank you, apricots! Glad to finally know you.

muffins!

2008-07-16T11:12:00.001-07:00

Fresh-baked muffins make me all warmy inside. They feel like home and like family. To me, muffins are a breakfast comfort food equivalent to the dinnertime bowl of macaroni and cheese. They feel like someone who loves me wrapped me in a cozy soft blanket and a big hug. A muffin straight from the oven is like a little gift I get to open up and savour. With butter!

This morning I made myself muffins. I used the recipe that one of our dear teachers in the Bauman Natural Chef program shared with us years ago. These muffins ~ although delicate and light in texture ~ eat more like a meal than a snack. They are wholesome, nourishing, and grain-free. And unlike their sugar- and white flour-laden commercial counterparts, are actually a perfect solid start to a productive morning.

The recipe is quite versatile and open to add-ins. This is the way I made it today:

Lizette's Breakfast Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350.

1 cup raw almonds*, soaked overnight**, then chopped finely in a food processor or blender

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

1/4 cup yogurt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

Mix all ingredients. Pour batter to fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake until golden.

Smear with more butter, and jam, as they're hot from the oven.

Additions, substitutions: you can use coconut oil in place of the butter, applesauce or ripe banana in place of the yogurt (though without the yogurt, I'm wondering if you'd need to add 1/2 tsp of baking powder. . ), and you can add just about anything you would to a normal muffin ~ chocolate or carob chips, frozen berries, a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, dried coconut flakes. . yum!

*It is important to buy organic almonds. Since last year, all almonds ~ *except* for ones you buy directly from the farmer, at the farmers' market, for instance ~ must be either irradiated, fumigated, or pasteurized. Organic laws ensure that almonds will only be pasteurized (heated) instead of undergoing the other toxic manipulations. But organic almonds you buy in the store are no longer raw ~ as in, you couldn't plant them and grow a new plant, no matter what they say on the bin. (bummer!!)

**Almonds, like all seeds including nuts, grains, and beans, have their nutrients locked away so that they can be deposited in the ground and make new plants. In order to make their nutrients available to us, and to neutralize inhibitors that protect the seed and challenge our digestion and nutrition, we must mimic the germination process for these seeds. This means giving them a warmish, moist, slightly acidic environment like they would experience if they were placed in soil. It's easy to do, but takes a moment of pre-planning. For nuts ~ cover raw, organic nuts in filtered water with a little salt and let them sit out on the counter overnight. In the morning, you can either use them still soft like I did for this recipe, or dry them in a dehydrator or oven on a very low temp until crispy.

Summer Saute'

2008-07-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

Summer!

An ear of corn just hours away from harvest at Full Belly Farm.

Being an urban girl at the moment, the farmers' market is my connection with the country.

For some reason the Tuesday Berkeley farmers' market feels a tad more intimate than the others; perhaps it is the narrow corridor of a street that the booths are on, and the fact that I end up rubbing arms and shopping baskets with many other market-goers as I shop. I feel more up-close with the vendors, too. Under the shade of their awning for the afternoon, they are tan (the kind of tan you get from working outside, not the kind you get from lounging) and earthy. If they don't have soil under their fingernails, I at least imagine that they do. They seem grounded and in their bodies. Everytime I interact with them and their tables of produce, I fantasize that I am one of them ~ just in town for the afternoon.

As if you didn't know, going to the farmers' markets continues to be my favorite activity of the week. I love walking to the market with a general loose guide of what I want and need, then picking the produce that most urgently grabs my attention, and creating a menu out of it as I walk along. So far this season the fruit has stolen the spotlight as I walk down the line, getting lured in by each plump fragrant sample piece. But summertime vegetables (ok ~ we all know that some of what we call "vegetables" are technically fruit, but follow me here) are starting to nudge their way in. The show-stopper for me this week has been corn. Corn! I love corn ~ any way you fix it (even creamed corn from a can).

Here's a simple recipe I created from veggies that caught my attention today:

Summer Saute'

~ makes two heapin' helpings

olive oil and butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 a bunch rainbow chard ~ the stem sliced like celery, the leaves chopped or in a wide chiffonade*

3 ears of corn ~ kernels stripped off the ear

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

a small handful of basil leaves ~ cut into a chiffonade

In a large skillet, warm the butter and olive oil and saute' the garlic with the chard stems on medium low for a few minutes, stirring so as not to let the garlic brown. Add the chard leaves, still dripping with the water they were washed in, and turn the heat up higher as you put a lid on the skillet. Let those wilt and cook to your liking. At the very last few minutes, add the corn kernels and stir. You don't have to cook them long at all. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the basil after the dish is off the heat, or as a garnish to each individual plate. This dish can be served piping hot or cold. With a few vagrant cornsilks still in there, this dish feels like summer.

* to chiffonade: line the leaves up lengthwise, and roll them together like a big cigar. As you hold the "cigar" firmly on the cutting board with one hand, make decisive cuts to shred the lot cross-wise into strips. For greens like kale and chard, I'm liking to cut the strips about as wide as my finger. I think chiffonade is the best way to cut basil; it doesn't oxidize and turn brown as much as if you mince it. Shred basil into 1/4 inch strips.

(my photo doesn't give juicy still-hot-from-the-sun justice to corn. .. more like a textbook. .)

love

2008-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

How could I forget the strawberries?!!

(i love strawberries, but, in retrospect, can't help but notice how pitifully pasty I look for June in these photos!)

sweet tea

2008-06-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Mr. Sealion is a Georgia boy. When the weather gets warm, no drink is quite like "sweet tea." And he's a connoisseur. So I have experimented with making a tea that is sweetened with more whole sweeteners, such as honey and rapadura. This summer I have discovered the sweetening power of stevia leaf. Stevia is an herb (not a sugar!) whose leaves are sweet, and slightly bitter or licorice-tasting when greatly concentrated. Stevia is sold in dried leaf form ~ similar to any other dried tea, in a concentrated powder, and a concentrated liquid sold with a dropper. You can find it at most any health/whole foods store. Brewing the dried leaf in with other tea ingredients makes a sweet product that pleases even the Southern palate. I find the leaves sweeter and less bitter than the concentrates.

Here is my basic recipe, and then the variation I just brewed up a minute ago. Rooibos is nice earthy-sweet brown herbal that resonates and continues the black tea taste without its caffeine. I buy my tea leaves in bulk from the local health/whole foods store. That's why my measurements are in tablespoons as opposed to tea bags.

Basic "Sweet Tea" ~ caffeinated

~for 1 gallon of tea ~

3 rounded T organic black tea leaves

2 rounded T organic rooibos

scant (loose and fluffy) 1/4 cup stevia leaves

Bring water to a boil, add teas and brew, simmering, for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and brew for another 5 minutes. Pour into tempered glass container and add filtered water to equal a good strength for your taste. Serve cold and/or over ice.

Rooibos Blend "Sweet Tea" ~ still caffeinated, but not as much

2 T organic rooibos

1 T organic black tea

1 T organic yerba mate'

1 T organic peppermint (dried ~ use more if fresh)

scant (loose and fluffy) 1/4 cup stevia leaves

Bring water almost to a boil (yerba mate' doesn't like boiling water), add teas and brew on low heat for 5 minutes. Brew for 5-15 more minutes, depending on your taste preferences. Pour into tempered glass container and add filtered water to equal a good strength. Serve cold and/or over ice.

I emphasize organic (as usual). Black teas that aren't labeled organic have pesticides sprayed on them that are harmful to tea-workers and concentrated in the drying. Black tea, rooibos, and yerba mate' are all imported to the US from other countries. I like to make sure those that I buy are also Fair Trade Certified, so that the workers get respect and compensation for their efforts.

love

2008-06-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Stone fruits.

Perfect peaches,

melt-in-your-mouth apricots,

and drip-down-your-chin plums.

I hear some cans of preserves calling.

Chutney, anyone?

Sesame Kale Miso Soup

2008-06-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

Yum! This meal was so simple and easy to prepare, and soooo satisfying and nourishing.

I didn't take a picture, because I was too busy enjoying.

real beef bone broth and water ~ enough for one bowl of soup.

1 T coconut oil

chopped kale ~ I used purple ~ as much as you can cram in the pot of simmering broth

1 T slowly toasted brown sesame seeds

1 T miso paste*, or, to taste ~ I used brown rice miso.

*Make sure it's organic!!!

You could use water without the bone broth, or use a different kind of broth, like chicken or veggie (recipes in a previous post). The broth really gives this soup its depth and whole-body nourishing feeling.

Slowly bring the broth-water to a rolling boil. Add the coconut oil, and then the kale. Simmer, covered, until the kale is soft and wilty.

In the bowl of your choice, spoon in the miso, and a few spoonfuls of the soup. Stir to dissolve the miso. Pour in the rest of the soup and stir. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Enjoy and feel nourished!

* These days, if a soy product doesn't explicitly say it's organic, you can count on it being GM ~ genetically modified. Don't be their guinea pig.

love

2008-06-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

Twenty

ripe and bursting with intense flavor

cherries

that barely make it home before I eat them all.

love

2008-05-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

How do I love the. .

Farmers' Markets?

Let me count the ways.

Today:

Seven

peas

straight from the pod.

good news for raw milk in CA

2007-12-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

from Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures

December 16, 2007

CALIFORNIA RAW MILK WILL LIVE!

California's raw milk supply will NOT be interrupted in
January, 2008 or beyond!

It will be a happy, healthy New Year indeed! California consumers have spoken loudly against AB 1735's biased, scientifically unsupported restrictions on raw milk. Your passionate voices have been heard.

In the last three weeks, the CA raw milk battle front has been abuzz with tremendous grass roots effort, back stage political activity, and high level meetings. As a result, the course of California raw milk history has been changed.

Here is a brief update of the progress:

Three things protect your raw milk in California:

1.. The Secretary of Agriculture has offered political support. A.G. Kawamura has dedicated himself to safe raw milk for California, declaring that "AB 1735 standards will not act as a de-facto ban on raw milk." Secretary Kawamura made this statement adamantly and repeatedly at a December 20th meeting with Claravale and Organic Pastures dairy representatives. He pledged to review our four-inch stack of documentation entitled “AB 1735: Raw Milk-The Unheard Argument” and promised to work with us to assure raw milk's continued availability.

2.. A new law will be introduced in January reversing AB 1735. An investigation has exposed certain CDFA employees who met without authorization and, using erroneous data, advised staff members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee to place "eight special anti-raw milk words" into AB 1735. All CDFA agency legislative matters and bills must be reviewed and authorized by the governor's office, as required by executive branch and administrative policy and procedure. Instead, highly misleading information was used to rapidly and secretly pass AB 1735 on a "consent item" basis without discussion or open debate. Assemblymen and State Senators who voted for AB 1735 are now very upset that they were misled, and support immediate repeal on procedural grounds. The attorney general's office might step in, having noted an aberrant violation of established process in furtherance of a "biased agenda that is far from being consent item."

3.. A lawsuit is being filed this week in San Benito County. Part of that lawsuit includes an injunction which legally secures raw milk producers against enforcement of AB 1735 standards. This allows more certain protection against AB 1735 until a new law can be passed.
While the raw milk fight is far from over, the safety of the California raw milk supply has been secured with multiple layers of strategic political, legislative, and legal efforts. Hearings will soon be announced as part of the new bill and legislative process that will start in January. Your attendance will be essential to deepen the protections put in place.

Keep Sending a Powerful Message: In order to strengthen our work going forward, we ask that you take pictures of yourself and your family holding raw milk bottles from Claravale and/or OPDC. Write on the picture: "Please support repeal of AB 1735." Then mail them to the Governor's office, your State Assemblymen, and State Senators' offices. The impact of a personal plea with a picture of your family is worth a thousand words.

Congratulations to all who participate in the "grass roots raw milk revolution." Your thousands of letters and calls made all the difference! CA Raw Milk is SAFE from AB 1735 and those that sought to eliminate this sacred healing whole food.

Warmly,

Mark McAfee, Founder OPDC

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

our Christmas day feasting came in two parts: breakfast when my sweetie got home from the night shift, and then dinner when he woke up to go back to work.

we had pancakes, Marin Sun Farms bacon, and mimosas for breakfast.
here's the pancake recipe i created. it's reported to be a favorite of Mr. Sealion:

1 1/4 cup sprouted spelt flour
1/4 cup polenta meal
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, beaten
enough whole milk added to the eggs to make 1 1/2 cup
1/4 cup melted butter
1 T real maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the milk, syrup, and vanilla.
add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing thoroughly but not too much. add more milk as needed to create a soupy batter.
fry in butter. savor.

a note on "sprouted" flour ~ this i ordered from Summer's Sprouted Flour online. sprouting the grains before grinding the flour makes it more digestible. another way to make flour more digestible without buying fancy "sprouted" flour is to simply soak the whole grain flour overnight in the recipe's milk, plus a couple Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar, or in yogurt. soaked overnight, this will be ready by morning, to create "sourdough" pancakes. you can make sourdough waffles this way, too! delicious and wholly nutritious. if you use this overnight soaking method, you can leave the baking powder out of the recipe.

for dinner we had:
roast Highland Hills Farm beef braised in red wine and beef broth, with onions, and tiffie-kraut
pureed beet-cabbage borscht with spicy garlic-sauteed rainbow chard, and a generous dollop of yogurt,
butter head lettuce salad with bosc pear and goat cheese.
individual vanilla custards sprinkled with nutmeg for dessert