Brine Pickled Brussels Sprouts

I’ve been wanting to try this for a while.  Brussels sprouts are in the same family as cabbage so one would thing they would lend themselves well to fermenting.  

Brussels sprouts, peas and olives were the only foods I didn’t like as a child.  I’ve come to love olives, enjoy peas (not the frozen variety though), and Brussels sprouts were next on my list to conquer.  I’d been hesitant to try them again since the memory of the one time I had them as a child is burned into my mind as a very unpleasant experience.  But with my quirky palate, I always thought I should like Brussels sprouts.  Like olives, I think I just had a bad first experience.  I finally found a beautiful bunch that just called to me.  I tried frying 1 lb of them up using Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen’s recipe for Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Piima Cream, and yes, they were wonderful.  Everything I thought they should  be.  

So of course next I wanted to try fermenting some.  Since this is my first time fermenting Brussels Sprouts, I’m keeping it simple.  I might play with flavors next time.

Brine Pickled Brussels Sprouts

• 1lb Brussels Sprouts, rinsed and halved
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 2 shallots, sliced thin
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/4 cup fresh whey (or an additional tbsp of salt)
• filtered water

Layer Brussels sprouts, shallots and red pepper flakes.  Sprinkle salt and whey over the top and fill with filtered water to cover.  Shake jar gently to dissolve salt.  Let set at room temp for about a week.  Place in cold storage.

Lactofermented Carrots with Indian Spices

I’m on an Indian kick.  Indian cuisine is just so flavorful, I couldn’t resist trying this spice mixture with carrots.  I’ve been waiting patiently for 5 days before cracking these open.  The rush of bubbles to the top tells me something has been at work over the last week and the smell is oh so yummy.  And the taste?  Even better than I expected!  I think this might be my favorite ferment yet.

Again I used baby carrots for this though I would love to try carrot spears or grated carrot with this spice combination.  Organic carrots can be hard to come by (except baby) in this area.  My order with Azure Standard was missing my organic carrots.  Boo!

Carrots with Indian Spices

• 1 lb baby carrots (or grown-up carrots cut into spears)
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1″ knob of ginger, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup fresh whey
• Filtered water

Layer carrots and spices in a mason jar or fermentation crock.  Top with sea salt, whey and filtered water to cover. Shake jar to distribute spices and dissolve salt.  Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 5-7 days then place in cold storage.

Part of Fight Back Friday and Fresh Bites Friday and Real Food Forager’s Probiotic Challenge

Meatball Soup

This was an on-a-whim soup that turned out awesome!  Meatballs are inspired by Food Renegade’s meatball recipe, only these are grain free.  Use only about 1/3 of the meatballs for the soup and save the rest for later (they freeze well).

Meatballs

• 3 lbs grassfed beef
• 3 eggs from pastured hens, beaten
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, parsley)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Heat oven to 400F.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly, using your hands to really work it all together, in a large bowl.  Form into balls, about 2 tbsp per meatball.  Place on cookie sheets and bake for about 10 mins or until cooked through.

Meatball Soup

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 1 quart beef stock
• 2 cups pureed tomatoes (or crushed if you want more texture)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 cups kale, chopped and stems removed
• 1/3 recipe of meatballs (save the rest for spaghetti)

Heat butter in soup pot and saute garlic and onions until tender.  Add stock, tomatoes and seasoning.  Bring to a boil. Add meatballs and kale.  Heat through.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers, Gluten Free

I made these for lunch today and they were too good not to share.  My kids tell me they don’t like black beans so I just didn’t tell them that is what these patties were made out of.  And they have vegetables!  Eeek!

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

• 2 cups black beans, cooked, rinsed and drained (or one 15 oz can)
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 large carrot, peeled 
• 1 celery rib
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 med onion
• 1 tsp cumin 
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 4 eggs, beaten (from pastured hens of course)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter or lard)

In a food processor, chop carrots, celery, garlic and onion very finely.  In a separate bowl, mash black beans with a potato masher so it’s mashed but has a little bit of texture.  Mix in eggs. Stir in almond flour, veggie mixture, spices and salt.  Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a cast iron skillet.  The mixture will be fairly liquid so it would be hard to form patties with your hands.  Instead drop the bean mixture into a hot skillet and smooth into a pattie with the back of your spoon.  Cook about 5 mins each side. 

Make Your Own Extracts

Do you have a couple last minute Christmas gifts to give out and don’t have a lot to spend?  With just a little spice (or peel) and a bit of vodka, you can make your extracts.  Not only do you save money but you know exactly what is going into your extracts.  Be sure to include instructions for how long the extract needs to set before using.  You don’t want to disappoint your gift recipient with a flavorless extract!

With husband deployed and having 4 kids, I had to find a babysitter so I could go to the liquor store and get my 1.75 liters of vodka.  That was the hardest part of this recipe for me.  The rest is easy peasy lemon squeezy as my 11 yo says.  

The most fun part was shopping for the bottles for the extract to go in.  Since I’m planning on making quite a few of these, I opted for square bottles that fit neatly together.  You can find all sorts of fun bottles at your local craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s.  I purchased mine online at http://www.specialtybottle.com. They also have Grolsch swing top bottles, eeee!  

Today I’m going to share with you Lemon, Orange, Vanilla, Star Anise and Imitation Maple Extract.  For the best quality extract, use the best quality spices or fruit.  You can order high quality organic spices online at Mountain Rose Herbs. Have fun!

Left to Right: Lemon, Orange, Vanilla, Almond Extract (almond is a trial so the recipe is not posted yet).

Vanilla Extract

• 2 vanilla beans
• 2 cups vodka

When selecting vanilla beans, make sure they are moist and stored cool. Slice beans from the bottom to about 1/4″ from the top.  Place inside bottle and cover with vodka.  Store in a cool dark place for about 2 months before using. Give it a good shake every so often. As you use the vanilla, you can top it off with more vodka and your beans will continue to give you extract for years.

Star Anise Extract

• Star Anise, whole (enough to fill whatever jar you are using)
• vodka

Fill jar with star anise and cover with vodka.  Store in a cool dark place for several months, giving it a good shake every so often.  The longer it sets, the stronger the flavor.  You can strain the vodka from the anise or leave it in the jar.

Imitation Maple Extract

• 1/3 cup fenugreek seeds
• 3/4 cup vodka
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1/4 piece of vanilla bean

Didn’t know you could make your own imitation maple extract did you?  I like to use this in granola and cereal recipes.  Warm fenugreek seeds in an unoiled skillet (just warm, don’t toast).  Place in a coffee grinder and grind up just to break up seeds.  Don’t make it too fine.  Place in jar with vanilla bean and top with 3/4 cup vodka. Store in a cool dark place, shaking occasionally.  Let set for about 1-2 months, you can taste for desired strength.  Strain and store.

Orange Extract

• Zest of 1 organic orange
• 1 cup vodka

It is important to choose organic oranges since it is the skin that you are using.  Place zest in jar and top with vodka.  Let set for about 2 months in a cool dark place.  Give it a good shake occasionally.  You can strain the zest or leave. I think it’s pretty with the zest in it.  *Mandarin oranges make an excellent extract as well.

Lemon Extract

• Zest of 1organic lemon
• 1 cup vodka

It is important to choose organic lemons since it is the skin that you are using.  Place zest in jar and top with vodka.  Let set for about 2 months in a cool dark place.  Give it a good shake occasionally.  You can strain the zest or leave. I think it’s pretty with the zest in it.

Indian Hot Lemons

Indian Cuisine is quite well known for it’s fermented foods. Chutneys, yogurts and all sorts of pickled vegetables abound. In this Hot Lemon Pickle recipe, I use traditional Indian spices with organic lemons and sea salt.  In my batch, I did use fresh whey to aid in the fermentation process but it is optional.  If you don’t use whey, throw in an extra tablespoon of sea salt.

Lemons and their juice can be used in recipes in place of regular lemons. You probably want to stick with Indian recipes with these ones or stuff a roasting chicken with them.  To maintain the benefit of the active cultures, add at the end and don’t heat more.  Try them in my Lemon Dhal recipe.  The peel on these lemons is actually the best part so slice it thin and garnish your lentils with it.  Enjoy!

Indian Hot Lemons

• 2 lbs of organic lemons
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your tolerance of spice)
• 3″ knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 4 tsp fenugreek
• 4 tsp mustard seed
• salt
• 2 tbsp fresh whey

Quarter the lemons but don’t cut all the way through.  Leave lemon slices connected at the bottom.

Sprinkle a light layer sea salt in the bottom of mason jar.  Sprinkle salt inside each lemon, liberally.  Begin layering lemons, ginger and spices pounding with a wooden mallet, spoon or rolling pin.  One of these days I want to get a sauerkraut pounder.

  

You want to really mash them good, releasing the juice. Keep layering and pounding until the lemons are submerged in their own juice.  If you have trouble getting enough juice to cover them, you can add lemon juice. Top with 2 tbsp of fresh whey.

To keep them submerged, I placed the biggest lid I could fit inside the jar and then pushed it down with a smaller jar.

Let set at room temperature for 2 weeks then move to cold storage.

Ferment Friday: Olives, lots and lots of olives!

Last year, The Nourished Kitchen posted about home-cured olives and I’ve been wanting to try this ever since reading that post.  After Jenny reposted the blog on Facebook last month, I decided to go for it!

 I received my 20lbs of olives in the mail from Chaffin Family Orchards and using her instructions for Home-Cured Olives and Moroccan Olives (I had plenty to experiment with), I got cracking!  Literally.

This is the cracking station in my ridiculously small kitchen.  Note the pot and the box are both precariously perched on the edges.  I have less than 3ft of counter space to work on.    Once I figured out to line up the olives and crack 8-10 at a time, the cracking went smoothly.  20lbs of olives fits quite nicely in my biggest stock pot.

Filled to the top!  Now comes the soaking, draining and rinsing.  Twice a day for at least a week.  I did it for almost 4 weeks.  This step removes the bitter taste.

Once the olives were ready, I started packing them into jars with various spices. Some have garlic, bay leaf an red chili pepper, some have turmeric and ginger added as well.  A salt water brine was poured over the top and now I just need to give them another 2 weeks to cure.  Patience is a virtue. I’ll let you know in 2 weeks how they taste!

20lbs of olives fills about 3 1/2 gallons of jars.  I have 1 full gallon jar plus 9 quarts and 1 pint.

For the full recipes, please visit The Nourished Kitchen.

Lemon Dhal and Spiced Rice

This is my favorite dish.  And by favorite, I mean it been served weekly at our house for the past 10 or so years.  This was #1’s first food.  Not on purpose, he just grabbed a handful before I could stop him.  Poor baby.  It was very spicy.  Very.

My husband introduced me to Indian food when we were dating. My cousins were adopted from India but being from small town Minnesota, it never occurred to me that Indian was a whole category of food.  Awesome food.  The best food I had ever eaten.  It became my mission to learn how to cook Indian.  I even waited at an Indian restaurant through college.  It must have been a sight to go to an Indian Restaurant and have a blonde Norwegian waiting on you.

Dhal is Indian way to say lentils (and it just sounds cooler).  Lemon Lentils just doesn’t have the same ring as Lemon Dhal, also spelled dal, daal or dahl, take your pick.  Serve this with basmati rice as a side dish or the main course.

The spiced rice recipe I’m including does use white rice.  This is how my restaurant made their rice, though I don’t remember them soaking it.  After much soul searching and research, I’ve determined white rice is just fine.  I heard a foreign exchange student from Japan once say only in America do we eat rice with the bran still on it.  My husband actually gets sick from brown rice and tested allergic to it.  So white rice for us it is.  I don’t always soak my rice before preparing it since it is lower in phytic acid than brown rice and I’m lazy.  But many traditional recipe books do recommend soaking basmati rice for improved flavor.  And if you haven’t tried basmati rice, you should.  It has the most delightful nutty flavor.  Yum!

Lemon Dhal

• 2 cups lentils (red or green)
• 1″ piece of ginger, grated
• 6 cloves of garlic, separated
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (you can use fresh lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup ghee or coconut oil
• 6 dried chilies or 1 tsp crushed red chilies
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• cilantro to garnish

Soak lentils in separate bowls in filtered water for about 8 hours.  Start lentils and rice (if using) in the morning.

Drain lentils and place in a medium saucepan with 4 cups water.  Add ginger, 2 cloves of minced garlic, chili powder and turmeric.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 25-30 mins or until lentils are soft.  Add lemon juice and salt to taste.  If it’s too watery, let simmer until it thickens up.
Meanwhile, in a skillet melt ghee or coconut oil.  Once it’s sputtering hot (flick a drop of water on it to tell), add 4 whole garlic cloves, cumin seeds and dried chilies and saute about 5 minutes or until garlic is beginning to blister.  Remove from heat and let cool just a little.  Pour oil over lentils and stir to combine.  Serve on top of spiced rice, garnish with cilantro.  To make it GAPS legal, skip the rice and serve over cauliflower.

Spiced Rice

• 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 3 cups chicken stock or water

Soak rice in filtered water with 2 tbsp vinegar, lemon juice or whey for about 8 hours (again, start in the morning).

Melt oil in a medium saucepan.  Add cumin and toast until they begin to sputter.  If you aren’t soaking your rice, add the rice to the oil as well to toast.  Add remaining spices and water, cover and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and continue to cook for about 10-15 or until water is absorbed.

Part of Traditional Tuesday.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Nothing warms your bones after being out in the snow like a nice warm cup of hot chocolate.  Now you can drink it and feel good about drinking it.  It’s getting cold here and the first thing the kids want when they come in from doing their chores is hot chocolate.  While we don’t have it every day, I can make it occasionally as a special treat.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 oz high quality baking chocolate grated (or if you’re lazy like me, 1/4 cup cocoa powder)
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 4 cups milk from pastured animals
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods (or a pinch of ground cardamom)
• pinch of sea salt

In a medium sized saucepan on medium heat, mix honey, chocolate and hot water.  Stir until chocolate is melted and hot, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in milk and add vanilla, spices and salt.  Cover and warm the milk but DO NOT BOIL for about 10-15 mins or longer, letting the spices steep.

Or you can just go to the store and get a package with the following ingredients:

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Vegetable Oil (Partially Hydrogenated Coconut or Palm Kernel and Canola. Hydrogenated Palm, Soybean, Cottonseed, and/or Safflower), Dairy Product Solids, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Salt, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Caseinate (From Milk), Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminodilicate, Mono-and Diglycerides, Guar Gum, Artificial Flavors, Sucralose.


Um, yeah, no thank you.  9 real ingredients verses 15-21 not quite real and some downright awful ingredients.  Does the real thing really take that much more time?  I don’t think so.

Curtido

Did you know there is a Mexican/Central American sauerkraut?  Curtido is a mix of carrot, onion, cabbage and spices.  This is my favorite way to enjoy fermented cabbage.  Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen introduced me to curtido last year through her Simple Meal Plans.  Each week she includes a lacto-fermented recipe in addition to 3 delicious meals, a dessert and a soup all using seasonal foods.

Curtido

• 1 small head of cabbage, cored and shredded
• 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1 small onion, shredded
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or 1 jalapeno chopped)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh whey
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt

In a large non-reactive bowl, combine everything.  Mash together using a wooden spoon or or this masher from Cultures For Health.  You can also use your hands to really squeeze the juices out.  Once the juice is released from the vegetables, begin layering and pounding the mixture into a fermenting crock or mason jar.

Use a plate or a gallon sized Ziploc bag filled partway with water to keep the vegetable mixture submerged in it’s juices.  Let sit at room temperature for 2-4 weeks.  Mold may grow on top but just scoop it off.  After the ferment period, place in cold storage.  It will last a year or so.

This is my sauerkraut set up, a cheap glass jar from a craft store.  Once it’s done fermenting, I’ll put the curtido in quart sized mason jars so I can start another batch.  Maybe fermented lemons next…

This recipe is part of Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday.