Sprouted Navy Bean Hummus, GAPS legal

Woohoo, GAPS legal hummus!  What is GAPS?  It stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome and it’s the diet that has helped so many.  It is based on the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) which is the diet that turned our family’s life around.  You can see our story here:  http://www.picklemetoo.com/2011/11/our-journey-with-autism.html

What makes something GAPS legal?  It contains only monosaccharide carbohydrates (the simplest of sugars that can’t be broken down any further, no starches or complex carbs that are difficult for GAPS people to digest).  The basic idea behind the GAPS diet is to give the digestive track a break and allow it to heal.  My oldest son ate this way for a full 2 years.  It was hard but it was worth it.

Usually making a substitute food ends up being sub par.  This is not the case here.  This is good hummus!  my kids are eating it by the bowlful.

Sprouting the Beans

To sprout the beans, place in a bowl with a lid.  Fill with water. Let soak overnight.  The next day, drain the water and rinse but don’t fill with water again.  Just cover the bowl.  Drain and rinse 3 times a day until you see sprouts emerging.  It should only take 2-3 days.  Discard if it starts to smell bad.  Great information on why to sprout your beans can be found here:  http://www.cookingtf.com/2011/04/19/why-i-no-longer-soak-my-beans/

If you don’t sprout the beans, you should at least soak them for 12-24 hrs.

To cook, place beans in a large pot and cover with water to about an inch over the top of the beans.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 4 hrs.  Skim the bubbles off the top and add more water if needed.  Crock pots are great for cooking beans.

Navy Bean Hummus 

• 3 cups soaked or sprouted navy beans, cooked
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup whey
• 1/2 preserved lemon or 2 tbsp lemon juice with zest
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin

In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until a smooth paste.  Place in a quart sized mason jar filling only to about 2″ below the lid (you might have some left over to enjoy now).  Cover loosely and let set at room temp for 3 days.  Move to cold storage.

Part of Freaky Friday, Make Your Own Monday

Coconut Saffron Shrimp Soup

So good.  So good.  This was another ‘no leftovers’ meal.  With having a perpetual stock pot always brewing up tasty stock, we’ve been trying to add more soups to our diet.  For my pot of soup, I did leave the skins on (thought maybe some of the nutrients might leach out into the soup).  Before eating, I just pulled the shrimp out, peeled them and popped them back in.  You can use peeled shrimp if you want to save a step.

Coconut Saffron Shrimp Soup

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2″ knob of ginger, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 med carrots, julienned
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust amount for more or less spice)
• a small pinch of saffron threads
• 1 lb shrimp
• scallions, chopped for garnish
• sea salt to taste
• Juice of 1 lime

In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute garlic and ginger for about 1 min.  Add coconut milk, stock, carrots , red pepper flakes and saffron.  Let simmer for about 10 mins or until carrots are soft.  Add shrimp and simmer until shrimp are pink.  Stir in lime juice and serve.

Part of Sunday Night Soup Night

Orange Cream Kefir

Inspired by Cultured Food Life’s post about second fermentation of milk kefir, I made this yummy breakfast.  I’m normally not a huge fan of kefir but a second fermentation was all it needed to push me into the fan category.
The second fermentation takes the edge off the kefir giving it a more pleasant taste and you can impart other flavors in it like we do with water kefir and kombucha. It also increases the B vitamins.  Yay for B vitamins!  My first experiment is with orange zest and vanilla extract.

Orange Cream Kefir

• 1 quart raw milk
• kefir grains
• zest from 1 orange
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Add kefir grains to your milk and let culture at room temp for about 24 hours.  Strain kefir grains.  

Add orange zest and vanilla, mix well and let set for about 8 hrs to a full day.  At this point the kefir may have separated. Just give it a good shake.  

I’m thinking this would be equally good in kombucha and water kefir.  I’ll let you know!

ETA: I made some orange cream water kefir this week and cracked open a bottle this afternoon.  Yum!

Part of Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday…

Orange Ginger Beet Kvass

I know it’s not Ferment Friday yet, but this is too good to wait.


Beet kvass that actually tastes good?  Is it even possible?!  I’ve been determined to make a beet kvass that I not only can drink but actually like.  I think I found it thanks to Jenny from Nourished Kitchen’s Fermented Beets with Orange and Ginger.  I thought I would add orange zest and ginger slices to my normal beet kvass recipe.  That is exactly what was needed.  It tastes great as is but add a second fermentation with orange or apple juice for some extra yum!


What is beet kvass? It’s a lactofermented beverage, it can be fizzy but not necessarily. If you do a second ferment in an airtight container, you have a higher chance of it being fizzy.


Use this beet kvass to make some Lactofermented Purple Eggs. It also colors yogurt a beautiful pink and just a little doesn’t alter the taste.

Orange Ginger Beet Kvass

• 6 medium beets, scrubbed and very roughly chopped
• 2″ knob of ginger, sliced thin
• Zest and juice of 1 orange (since we’re using the skin, I recommend using organic oranges)
• 4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable culture, reserved kvass from a previous batch, whey or an extra 2 tbsp sea salt
• Filtered water

Place beets, ginger, orange (zest and juice), salt and culture in a 1 gallon jar.  Top with filtered water and cover loosely.  Let set at room temperature for 3 days.  Strain and bottle the rich red liquid.  Use strained beets again for another batch.

For a second fermentation, fill air tight bottles like these flip top bottles, about 3/4 full.  Fill the rest of the way with orange juice (apple juice is great too) cover tightly and set 12-24 hrs at room temp.  Move to fridge and enjoy!


Part of Fat Tuesday, Whole Food Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Fight Back Friday

Lactofermented Mushrooms

Why, oh why had I not thought of this earlier?  Pickled mushrooms are one of my favorite pickles and I’ve only ever had the vinegar pickled kind.  Of course mushroom ought to make a great lactoferment!  These are great on their own or as a salad topping.  Flavoring with thyme and marjoram just seemed right.

Ever on a mission to perfect my mad fermenting skilz, I mixed things up quite a bit this week.  First, I ordered some Caldwell Starter Culture for vegetables from Cultures for Health.  Why use this instead of whey?  Because it contains bacteria that is found in soil not milk, which is perfect for vegetables.  It contains b.plantarum, Ln.mesenteroides, and Pc.acidilactici. Yes, whey works and I’ve never had a problem with it, but that’s not the case for everyone.  The thing that kept me from using it all my fermenting years was the price.  I have a ready supply of whey and didn’t want to spend money on something extra.  But curiosity got the best of me.  I want to see the difference.  In the coming weeks as I’ll use the culture more and more, I’ll let you know my opinion.

Second change?  I’m going to be using a 3.6% salt brine solution instead of just guessing.  I don’t like guessing.  It usually works out but sometimes it doesn’t.  I put too much salt in one of my ferments making it unpalatable.  To obtain a 3.6% solution, mix in 4 tbsp sea salt per 8 cups filtered water (or for smaller batches, 2 tbsp salt per 4 cups water).  If I wanted to be extra cautious, I would weigh the salt but I haven’t reached that level of crazy yet.  Fermenting for me needs to be easy.

I expect great things from these changes.  Here is the first great thing.

Lactofermented Mushrooms

• 8-16 oz mushrooms (I used crimini)
• 1/4 cup whey or vegetable culture or an extra tbsp of sea salt
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• a few sprigs of fresh marjoram
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 3.6% salt water brine to cover (4 tbsp sea salt dissolved in 8 cups filtered water)

Makes 1 quart.

Quarter mushrooms and layer into a quart sized mason jar with thyme, marjoram and garlic.  Fill to the top with the brine solution. Use a weight to hold the mushroom under water (I just used a small spice jar filled with water that fits nicely inside my jar). Cover loosely and let set for 3-5 days.  If you don’t use all the brine, place remaining in the fridge for future use.

One thing to keep in mind with mushrooms, they are filled with quite a bit of air.  I found that I had to add some brine throughout the week to keep the mushroom submerged and take extra care to hold them under the water.  Try placing a few cabbage leaves on top of the mushrooms and weighing it down with something.  You’ll also notice this jar is only half full.  It was full when I started.  Next time I might try pressing more mushrooms in.

Part of Friday Food Flicks, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Living Well Blog Hop, Fight Back Friday, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesday

Curried Lemon Dressing

I am having fun coming up with ways to used my Indian Hot Lemons.  After making the Probiotic Rich Lemon Poppyseed Dressing, I wanted to make something with the Indian Hot Lemons.  You might be able to make this with a plain old preserved lemon or even just lemon juice but I’m sure it won’t be quite as awesome 🙂

Curried Lemon Dressing

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup yogurt (I used filmjolk for mine)
• 1/2 a medium onion, chopped
• 1 Indian Hot Lemon, seeds removed, thinnly sliced peel and all
• 3 cloves garlic or 1 1/2 tsp fermented garlic paste
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth

Of course my first thought is to use this on top a salad with chicken, golden raisins and walnuts. Yup, perfect.

Sauerrueben

If you like sauerkraut, you’ll love sauerrueben.  Sauerrueben is similar to sauerkraut instead you use shredded turnips instead of cabbage.  It has the most interesting tang to it and is quickly becoming one of my favorite ferments.  My love to serve it on top of various patties.  Salmon patties, hamburgers, turkey patties and sausage patties.  So good!

Sauerrueben

• 3 lbs turnips, trimmed, peeled and shredded
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp whey (or an extra tbsp of sea salt)

Trim, peel and shred your turnips.  I like to use a food processor for the ease of it.  Dump the shredded turnips in a large bowl.  Add salt and whey if using and pound away with a wooden spoon or kraut pounder until they begin to release their juices.  Layer and pound into a quart sized mason jar.  Once all the turnip is in the jar, push down to submerge the solids under their juices.  You’ll want to make sure there is at least 1″ of head space to avoiding bubbling over.  Cover loosely and set in a warm place for about a week. Remove to cold storage.

I like to write the date I started my ferments on the top with a dry erase marker like this:

Part of Friday Food Flicks and Fight Back Friday

Grain Free Chicken Nuggets

Grain free chicken nuggets?  Is it even possible?  And if it is possible, it’s gotta taste horrible, right?

I’m so happy these turned out as good as they did.  My pickiest eater happily gobbled them down and declared them better than McDonald’s, which is a lot coming from him.

Grain Free Chicken Nuggets

• 2 lbs chicken thighs, bones removed and cut into nugget sized pieces (pastured chickens of course)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (available here Green Polka Dot Box)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 egg, beaten (from pastured hens)
• 1/4 cup palm oil, lard (from pastured pigs) or coconut oil (available here Green Polka Dot Box)

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet.  While oil is heating, toss chicken and egg together, coating well.  In a large bowl, mix coconut flour, paprika, salt and pepper.  Toss chicken in and coat well.  I like to use a tongs to really mix it up.  Place chicken pieces in oil, separating them, and brown well on both sides.  If you have a deep fryer, that would work well too.  

Probiotic Rich Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

I believe I just created the. best. salad dressing. ever.  Not exaggerating.  Perfect blend of sweetness, tartness and down right goodness.  I’m always on the look out for a good use for my preserved lemons and this is a great one.  Using a whole preserved lemon instead of just lemon juice adds a whole ‘nother level of awesomeness.  My batch even includes some lactofermented hot mustard.  No preserved lemons or lactofermented mustard?  No need to fret, you can easily substitute Dijon mustard and leave out the lemon.  It’s still super yummy.

Probiotic Rich Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 4 tbsp lemon juice (from fermented lemons)
• 1 preserved lemon, cut into pieces small enough to blend (just leave out if you don’t have any or use the zest of 1 regular lemon)
• 1/4 of a small onion, diced
• 1 tsp fermented hot mustard (see below or sub regular Dijon style mustard if needed)
• sea salt to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp)

Place all ingredients in a quart sized mason jar and using an immersion blender, puree ingredients (you can use a blender but this is a much easier clean up).  

For a great preserved lemon recipe go to http://nourishedkitchen.com/morrocan-preserved-lemons/

I love my immersion blender.  This baby is almost 10 yrs old and going strong.

Lactofermented Hot Mustard

• 2 jars of ground mustard, 1.75 oz each (or you can ground whole mustard
• whey

Slowly mix in whey until the mustard is at the consistency desired. Loosely cover and let set at room temperature for about 3 days.  Remove to cold storage.

Part of Homestead Barn Hop, Fat Tuesday Probiotic Food Challenge

Indian Spiced Cauliflower

It’s Ferment Friday again!

So the Indian Spiced Carrots were so good I had to apply that thought to cauliflower.  I’ve had the image of golden colored cauliflower in my head and having had cauliflower curry in the past, I knew this combo would be smashing.  I did change up the spices a bit simply because I didn’t have fenugreek on hand and am too impatient to wait for some to come in the mail (it’s not at an local grocery stores).  Normally I don’t use spice mixes but prefer to mix my own but this curry powder had all the spices I wanted.  Adjust the amount of cayenne to taste or leave it out completely.  In my batch, I used 1/4 cup of carrot ginger kvass as a starter instead of whey.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower, makes 2 quarts

• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup whey, veggie starter or an additional tbsp of salt
• filtered water

In a 1/2 gallon mason jar, layer cauliflower, spices and salt, gently pressing cauliflower in.  Pour whey over the top and fill jar with filtered water.  Cover tightly and shake to disperse spices and dissolve salt.  Loosen cover and let set at room temp for 3-5 days. I like to tighten the lid on the last day of fermentation to seal in a little effervescence.  Nothing more fun than fizzy vegetables!

Part of Fight Back Friday and Friday Food Flicks and Traditional Tuesday and Fat Tuesday and Probiotic Food Challenge