Pickled Baby Carrots and a Wipes Warmer

Here is a great “cheater” recipe. By cheater, I mean I did very little prep. Sometimes I just don’t feel like peeling a ton of carrots and chopping them into carrot sticks.

• 1 lb organic baby carrots
• 1/4 cup fresh whey (from making yogurt cheese)
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• optional: dill, red chili flakes or pickling spices
• filtered water

In a bowl, mix carrots, salt, herbs/spices and whey. Stuff into a mason jar, leaving about 1″ head space. Fill jar with filtered water, cover and give it a shake to mix everything up. Make sure everything is submerged under water. Sometimes I’ll place a a small jar top that will fit inside the mason jar to keep the veggies under.

Set in a warm place for 5-7 days.

Warm place, eh? Not so easy here in the frozen tundra.

Our house gets cold in the winter. I’m a cheapskate and I hate spending tons of money to keep my house at 72F so I don’t. It’s closer to 65F here. We wear sweaters. The radiator in my kitchen doesn’t work well so that room can get quite nippy when it’s -40F outside. I once left a bowl of water on the floor and woke to found it frozen. Eek! Luckily the pipes are on the inside walls so they are safe.

So how does one ferment when it’s so cold. My counter top yogurts (piima, viili and kefir) don’t set when it’s that cold, even when placed on top of my refrigerator. So I need to get creative.

One day when I was going through baby stuff, I found a wipes warmer. Never used, still in the box. I’ve always thought those things were worthless. Boy was I wrong! It works great as an incubator for my lovely cultures. With the top open, it keeps whatever I place inside it around 80F.

Right now I have two jars of apple cider, one grape juice and one kefir all fermenting away.

For the love of all things pickled!

I have loved pickles since I was a small girl. I only recently discovered that pickles can actually be good for you, when made the old fashioned way. Before canning, there was lacto-fermentation using just salt or salt and whey (hence the lacto part). Pickling foods this way not only helps preserve them, it improves their digestion, boosts their vitamin content, and is full of life! Good life. The kind of life you want living in your guts. Probiotic yumminess!

So a blog about pickles? Yeah, why not.

Crabmeat and Chevre Spread

I came up with this in a whirl wind when my snack for Bible Study didn’t turn out. I’m glad it didn’t because this was much much better. If you are gluten intolerant, be sure to use real crab, not imitation which contains wheat gluten. Don’t have crab? I’m sure the seasonings would be great for salmon or tuna, though I prefer wild caught canned salmon due to tuna’s mercury content. You can make it extra healthy by making this mayo to go with it http://www.foodrenegade.com/enzyme-rich-mayonnaise/
Crabmeat and Chevre Spread

• 1 can Philips Crab (canned about 1 lb) or any crab meat brand.
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise (a big squirt)
• 1 tbsp chevre (goat milk cheese, usually found in the specialty cheese case at most grocery stores). If unavailable, you can substitute cream cheese or sour cream.
• 1 tbsp kosher dill relish (or just chop up a baby dill pickle)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce (the only gluten free one I know of)
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients except the crab meat. Mix crab meat into the seasoning mix. Refrigerate and enjoy. Remember, crab does not keep long see eat up fast!
Tastes great on gluten free crackers and chips or spread on bread for a sandwich.

Tilapia Tacos

This is probably one of my most favorite Mexican dishes. So tasty and so simple.
Use whatever fish is easiest for you. Tilapia is my favorite but wild caught canned salmon is the quickest. Cod is a good inexpensive choice.

• 4 fillets of tilapia
• 8 corn tortillas
• About 1 cup shredded cheese (omit if you are dairy sensitive)
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (lettuce works too)
• 1/2 sour cream (unflavored chevre or dripped goat yogurt for the dairy free)
• 1/2 cup green salsa
• 2 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• chopped tomatoes and lemon slices for garnish

To prepare tilapia, I like to saute them or oven bake them with a splash of white wine.

Heat oven to 350. Lay tortillas out flat on cookie sheet. Spread 1/2 a fillet or about 1/4 cup salmon down center of each tortilla and sprinkle cheese on top. Place in oven until cheese melts, about 5-10 min.

While heating tacos, prepare dressing by folding together sour cream, salsa, lime juice and cilantro .

Remove from oven. Top each taco with a couple spoonfuls of dressing mixture, cabbage and tomatoes. Fold in half and serve.

Yogurt Fun!

I love making yogurt. This is one of those foods my husband says, “You know, you can buy that already made.” But what’s the fun in that. Homemade yogurt ensures no unwanted additives are there and if you are sensitive to lactose, you can incubate it for a longer period making it lactose free. I prefer to make mine with raw goat milk. Nothing better. Goat milk yogurt has the best texture. Just be sure not to use the ultra-pasteurized store bought yucky stuff. It won’t work and it’ll taste ultra-bad.
You can make it in any amount that you have room for. I usually make 2 qts at a time.
Tools needed:
Candy or meat thermometer
Food dehydrator (Excalibur is the best), crock pot, a yogurt maker or your oven with the light kept on.
Ingredients:
1 quart milk
1/4 cup commercial plain yogurt or yogurt starter
If you don’t feel safe with raw milk, heat your milk up to 185F. If using goat milk make sure it gets no hotter than that. Otherwise just heat your milk to about 110F, no hotter. Whisk in plain yogurt or yogurt starter. Pour into smaller containers, I just use tupperware.
If using a food dehydrator, set the temp to 110F.
For the crockpot, fill part way with water and set to lowest setting. Use a thermometer to check and make sure it keeps it at 100-110F before adding the yogurt.
For the over, turn the light on and close the door. Check to make sure it keeps it between 100-110. If it does, place your yogurt inside. If it gets too hot, crack the door.
Some have had luck wrapping up the yogurt container in a towel and placing it in a cooler to maintain the temperature.
Let set for at least 8 hours. To completely remove all lactose, let it set for at least 24 but no more than 36 hrs. The longer you let it set the more sour it will be but also the more good bacteria will be there.
Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours before digging in.
We sweeten ours with agave, honey or maple syrup with a bit of fruit spread.

Cream of Whatever Soup

This recipe is a staple. I found it in an old Mennonite cookbook back when my biggest concern was saving money. When we discovered our gluten sensitivity, I realized I could easily adapt this recipe and still make all the recipes I used to love gluten free. Use in recipes calling for cream of mushroom, chicken or celery soup. 1 batch equals 1 can.

Cream of Whatever Soup

3 tbsp oil (coconut, extra virgin olive, butter, lard, ghee, bacon fat, take your pick)

3 tbsp flour (gluten free flour for me)

1 cup broth or milk

salt to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour and keep stirring until flour is golden and bubbly. Slowly whisk in the broth or milk. Turn down the heat and stir until the sauce is at the desired consitancy. It should be similar to a can of condensed Cream of Mushroom soup.

Cream of Mushroom: Chop up 1/2 a cup of mushrooms and saute in the oil before adding the flour. Continue in the recipe.

Cream of Celery: Chop up 1/4 cup celery and saute in the oil before adding the flour. Continue in the recipe.

Creamy Cheese: After adding the liquid, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until well blended. This works great for Macaroni and Cheese.

Cream of Chicken: Use chicken broth and 1/2 cup chopped chicken.

Salami Wraps

This is one of my favorite super quick lunches. Even the boys will eat it.

• 3 slices, thinly sliced hard salami (nitrate free)
• 1 kosher dill baby pickle
• 1 large leaf of romaine lettuce
• 1 tbsp chevre, cream cheese, or dripped yogurt

Spread the cheese on 1 slice of salami and lay at the rib end of the leaf. Place the remaining slices after it. Place the pickle in the middle of the cheese slice. Roll from the crispy rib end up. The rib will break, but it will be in the center. Once you get to the end, it will stop breaking and look neat.

Yogurt Cheese

I love this cheese on crackers or veggies and before I couldn’t eat wheat I devoured it on pita bread slices. It makes a great substitute for cream cheese or sour cream if you don’t let it drip too long. You can even press it to make a harder cheese.

• 1 qt yogurt, either store bought or homemade
• 1 tsp salt
• Optional: herbs like 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Line a colander with a tea towel (kitchen towel that is not terry cloth) or a flat, unused, cloth diaper or cheese cloth/muslin. Dump the yogurt in and let it drain for about 8 hours until it is a good thick consistency, almost like cream cheese. Be sure to catch the whey that drips off into a bowl. It’s great for lots of things. Fold in the salt and parsley if desired.

Chevre Pasta

• 8 oz rotini (we prefer Tinkyada’s Gluten free here)
• 4 oz chevre
• 1 10 oz package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to the package directions. While draining, warm up oil, add the spinach and tomatoes in the same pot and just warm. Mix in the cheese until just starting to melt. Add the pasta and pine nuts and toss together. Mmmmm…

Quinoa Pilaf

To help make grains more easily digestible and nutrient rich, soak them in water with 1 tbsp whey, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice overnight. More info here http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-eat-grains/

• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 med carrot chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (I like to use a mix of the different colors
• Soak 3/4 cup quinoa overnight in 1 1/2 cup water.

In a saucepan, heat oil over med heat. Saute garlic until golden, add onions and saute until soft. Add carrots, bell peppers and soaked quinoa with the soaking water.
Substitute your favorite grain. I’ve used brown rice, millet and a mix of millet and quinoa.