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.

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.

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.

Too Good to be True Tilapia

4 ingredients, 15 minutes, this is my favorite last minute meal. My kids devour this fish and always ask for more.

• 4 fillets tilapia, defrosted
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• a couple glugs white wine
• 4 pinches dill (fresh is best but dried will do)

Preheat oven to 425F. Coat an 8×11 glass baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Lay fillets in trying not to overlap. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over each of the fillets. Pour a couple glugs of white wine over all 4, not too much, you don’t want to drown them. Sprinkle a pinch of dill over each fillet.
Bake for 15 mins or until the fish flakes easily and is no longer opaque. Hmm, tasty.
I usually like to serve this with a simple spinach salad and Quinoa Pilaf to fill up extra hungry stomachs.

Chicken Tacos to Die For

Man, I impressed myself with this one. This is my favorite kind of meal, few ingredients, fast and tastes unbelievable!

• 2 lbs chicken breast, bone in or bone out, I actually used some of each
• 3 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (if you want more of a punch, add more chilies)
• 1 large onion sliced
• 2 cups salsa or a 15 oz can of chopped stewed tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Taco shells (omit for a GAPS legal meal)

In a crockpot, place chicken breasts (no need to defrost if frozen). Pour in the tomatoes. Mix in the chipotle chilies and and adobo sauce, garlic and cinnamon sticks. Top with the slices of onion. I give it a bit of a stir to make sure the chicken is coated. Cook on high for about 4 hours (low for 8). You’ll want the meat to be tender enough to just fall off the bone.

Remove the chicken pieces, chipotle peppers and cinnamon sticks. Shred the chicken, I do this using two forks. Throw out the peppers and cinnamon (you can chop the peppers up and leave them in the mix, but it will be hotter). Put the chicken back in the crockpot with all the yummy juices and mix thoroughly.

This tastes great on tacos or as a taco salad. Add your favorite taco toppings like cheese, sour cream, more salsa and salad.

Balsamic Green Beans with Roasted Red Peppers

I wanted to make a green bean dish for Thanksgiving, but not the typical cream of mushroom soup/fried onions dish. Not one of my favorites. I looked around for a while to see if I could find a good one but wasn’t struck by any I found. I knew what I wanted so I just came up with this myself. I think I might be making this for more than Thanksgiving.

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (or honey)
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or almonds would be good)
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced lengthwise into slivers
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 roasted red pepper, 1/2 a jar if using jarred, sliced
• 1.5 lbs of fresh green beans

In a small saucepan, heat balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and reduce by about half. When it’s done the sauce will coat the back of your spoon nicely.

In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until nice and crispy. Drain and set aside. Reserve just enough of the fat to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add coconut oil and heat up over medium heat. Toast the walnuts until they start smelling yummy and are browned. Remove nuts from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add garlic and saute for 1 min. Add onion and saute until carmelized, browned and very soft. Chop up bacon and return to the skillet. Add red peppers and walnuts and heat through. Pour reduced balsamic vinegar sauce over the mixture.

Steam fresh green beans until bright green and still crispy. Toss together with balsamic vinegar mixture.

Killer Grain Free Pancakes

Oh so good!  Many times, gluten free/grain free foods for me are a notch below their gluten full counterparts.  These pancakes are in the running for the best pancakes I’ve had.  Even the boys liked them!

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts (chopped or whole)
• 1/2 cup cream or sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

In a food processor, chop nuts very finely, almost to the point of making it a nut butter.  Add remaining ingredients and process thoroughly.

Heat a large skillet (I love my cast iron!) on medium heat with a little bit of oil to coat the bottom.  When nice and hot, turn down to med-low (nuts tend to burn quickly).  Spoon mixture out, about 1/4 cup per pancake.  When the pancakes are all bubbly, flip them.

Gluten Free Cereal

I’ve made this cereal enough and adapted it enough that I think I can safely call this version my own. Substitute whatever type flour you prefer. I’ve used 3 cups all purpose GF flour; 2 cups GF flour with 1 cup rolled oats; 1 cup buckwheat, 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup oats (whole grains processed in a blender); 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup oats, 1 cup GF flour (whole grains processed). They all turned out equally tasty.

• 3 cups grain of your choice (I prefer using the whole grain berry and grinding it up in the food processor).
• 2 cups buttermilk, or 2 cups milk blended with a tbsp of yogurt or whey (I’ve also done 1 cup buttermilk and 1 cup kefir).
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter), melted
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp baking soda

Combine grains and buttermilk in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Leave sit for about 8 hrs (overnight).
Preheat oven to 350F. Add remaining ingredients to processor. Process until well blended. Grease a 9″x13″ cake pan with butter or coconut oil. Pour in batter and bake about 45 or until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool. Crumble cake into small pieces and spread on 2 cookie sheets. Place in oven at 200F for 1-1.5 hrs. You’ll want the crumbles to be crunchy.

Shh, don’t tell them it’s good for them.

My kids are forever hard to please.  Even the mere mention of vegetables gets groans and “I hate that!” from them.  They’ll even try to convince me that they are allergic to it.  So I have to sneak things in where I can.  Spaghetti sauce is the perfect medium for some uber healthy veggie sneaking.  This sauce contains all the yellow/orange/red veggies I could find in my house at the time of making it.  Maybe if my garden works out some day, I’ll be able to make it with fresh tomatoes.

Upon tasting it my oldest declared, “This is the best spaghetti sauce the world has ever tasted!”  He even suggested I sell it.

Sneaky Spaghetti Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil (or butter)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2, 6 oz cans tomato paste
• 2, 28 oz cans tomato puree
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp basil
• 2 tsp oregano
• 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 cups your choice of yellow/orange veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, red/orange roasted peppers) or peeled zucchini, chopped.

In a large sauce pan sauté onions in oil until translucent.  Add garlic cloves and sauté another 5 mins.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 1 hr.   With a slotted spoon, remove bay leaves.  With a handheld blender (or regular blender) puree until smooth that way no one will ever know there are lots of vegetables in it.