Paleo Stir Fry

A fan of stir fry, I decided to make one with cauliflower as the "rice". It also gave me an opportunity to use up the chicken breasts my husband made the night before as well as part of the puffball mushroom my parents gave to us. The result: judging from the empty wok, a success!



Ingredients:

Cauliflower
1 onion
Garlic (the amount is up to you--I used 4 cloves)
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
Butter
Coconut oil
Turmeric
Ground pepper
Mushroom soy



Directions: 

Cut the cauliflower into florets and place them into the bowl of a food processor.
 Blend until the cauliflower becomes rice".
Set aside.
 Chop up the onions,
garlic,
carrots,
and celery.
Chop up whatever other ingredient you would like to add. In my case, a portion of the puffball mushroom,
 and chicken breast.
Add butter and coconut oil to the pan and heat.
Add the onions, garlic, and carrots and cook until soft. Add turmeric, ground pepper, and mushroom soy to the wok.
Add the celery and other ingredients and stir until combined.
Add the cauliflower rice and stir until soft. Covering the wok and lowering the heat helped to achieve a more rice-like consistency for the cauliflower. 
Enjoy!




Kale Hummus

Hummus is easy to make, and so delicious and nutritious. And, since there are twenty-three Russian kale plants in the kitchen garden, it seemed a good idea to incorporate them. This recipe looked perfect thanks to its simplicity. It was very delicious as well, and it goes well with baguettes or chopped vegetables.


Ingredients

4 cups kale
1 can (15 ounce) garbanzo beans or chick peas
3 tablespoons tahini
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons honey 
12 teaspoon salt 
14 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice


Equipment 

Food processer
Garlic press
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons

 
Instructions

Wash the kale leaves and tear them into small pieces.


Measure them then add  them to the bowl of the food processor.


Process them until smooth.


Add the chick peas,


the tahini,

the pressed garlic cloves,

the lemon juice, salt and ground pepper and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Gardens...

It's that time of year again...

Progress in the kitchen garden was swift, comprising of twenty-three varieties of white, frilly, and red Russian kale, five varieties of lettuce, three varieties of arugula, and beets. As before, Duane's cherub forms the centerpiece.

 The beginning stages
In June


The back garden is doing well also with its crop of asparagus, raspberries, blueberries, and other plants that couldn't fit in the kitchen garden.


Most of the plants are heirloom and sourced from Fedco as either seeds or young plants from the Fedco Tree Sale and, in the case of the asparagus, Paris Farmer's Union.

Already the kitchen garden is providing ingredients for salads, meals, the green smoothies and will be for fresh vegetable rolls. Yum.

May this time of year last...

Curried Carrot Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes because it's is simple and delicious. With a few ingredients, a Vitamix, and a baguette, you'll have a dinner in minutes. The Curried Carrot Soup is based on this recipe.

Ingredients:


 6 medium carrots (organic), cut in large pieces
1  small onion (organic), chopped
2 cups vegetable stock or water (I used homemade duck broth)
1/2 cup soy milk (I used milk)
3/4 teaspoon curry powder (as this was a bit strong, I reduced this to 1/2 teaspoon)
1/8 lemon, peeled (or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper, to taste


Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in the Vitamix and let in run on high for six minutes or until steam issues from the top.

Pour the contents into bowls and serve.
  

Coffee Cup Scramble

For breakfast in the morning, when one is short on time, a Coffee Cup Scrambles work well. Using farm-fresh eggs add even more nutrition. According to a comparison in Mother Earth News between pastured-raised chickens and the USDA table of nutritional information of factory eggs. Pasture raised eggs have:

1/3 less cholesterol
1/4 less saturated fat
2/3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene

A Coffee Cup Scramble is easy to make and delicious, and the basic recipe allows for a lot of interpretation and additions. In fact, the scramble does not even need to be made in a coffee cup at all.

Ingredients:

Two eggs
2 tablespoons milk 
Salt
Pepper
Spices
1 tablespoon Butter (optional)
Cheese 
Cooking spray
Coffee cup
Whisk



Directions:

Thoroughly spray the inside of the container with cooking spray and add two eggs,

 and the two tablespoons of milk,

and spices, such as salt, pepper, turmeric, and basil.

Whisk the contents together. Add a tablespoon of butter (optional).

Put the container in the microwave for 45 seconds.

Whisk the eggs again.

Put the eggs in the microwave for another 45 seconds. You may have to whisk them again, as there may still be some uncooked egg in the bottom of the container. If so, cook for another 45 seconds.

Sprinkle with the cheese of your choice. Bon appétit !







A New Theme...

With the beginning of spring, I wished to begin a new series of blogs exploring the concept of eating locally. The inspiration came from many places: growing up on an organic-practices farm in Cornville, Maine,  Rip Esselstyn's Engine 2 Diet books, the ABC show," My Diet is Better Than Yours", and The Wild Diet by Abel James (the Wild Diet was one of the most successful diets featured on "My Diet is Better Than Yours").

For these blogs, the challenge will be mostly sourcing foods that are local (within 50 miles of home), organic, or from the garden or property. As the gardens are in their infant-stage, other sources will have to be relied upon within that 20-mile radius, such as organic greens from local stores, produce from farm stands, and produce from past seasons (canned pumpkins, sun-died tomatoes).

Welcome, spring!!

Organic And Natural Foods: The Better Choice Or Just a Pricey Fad ...

The Green Smoothie

Since getting a Vitamix in November, I began making green smoothies for myself and my youngest daughter (my eldest daughter prefers to make her own). Since then, I have  found that the health of my daughters and myself has improved--that we haven't gotten as sick as often, despite the many sickness that affect those around us at school and work.

The recipe for the green smoothie is quite simple and can be adapted to fit anyone's taste--even adding strawberries, as my eldest daughter does.

Ingredients:



Water (as the capacity of the Vitamix is 64 ounces, I use a quart)
Collard greens
Kale
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Flax seed


Directions:

 Add one clove of garlic,

a handful of collard greens,

 
a stalk or two of celery,

 a handful of kale,

carrots (as these were small, I added four),

 a handful of Super Greens (available at many stores and consists of spinach, arugula, chard and kale),

a heaping tablespoon of flax seed,

 and water.

Blend until smooth.

The finished smoothie.


Pour into containers.

For an added kick, I add a squeeze or two of Sriracha and a few shakes of mushroom soy sauce.

Cap, shake and enjoy!


I cannot wait till the gardens are in full force and I can source my ingredients from there...

Facial Scrub and Shampoo

Since I was low on shampoo and facial scrub, I decided to make some more. The ingredients are blessedly few and free of sodium lauryl sulfate.


FACIAL SCRUB


To make the scrub, you will need a coffee grinder, 1/4 cup measuring cup, a small funnel, and a small bottle (ones from traveling kits work well, and are available at most stores). A chopstick helps when coaxing the scrub down the funnel into the bottle.


Ingredients:

1/4 cup dry milk

and 1/4 cup oatmeal.
 
Directions:

Add both ingredients to the coffee grinder and grind until they are reduced to powder.
Pour the ground oatmeal and dry milk into the bottle using a funnel.
To apply, add a small portion to the cupped palm of your hand and add water, mixing with a fore finger, until you reach the desired consistency. This mixture may also be used as a mask.

According to Look Good Naturally, Cleopatra was "renown for her beauty and lovely skin", and owed much of this to the milk baths she took. Milk contains lactic acid which  "melts the adhesive substance" fortifying dead skin cells and cleanses the skin to "its deepest layers".

Oatmeal is no less beneficial for the skin. According to Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Susan Stuart, it "contains both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and as such is ideal for sensitive skin and to treat a variety of skin disorders (i.e sunburns, eczema and poison ivy)".


SHAMPOO

Because most shampoos contain sodium lauryl sulfate, I combed the internet to for alternatives. I found a recipe (one I can't find again). The recipe's short list of ingredients appealed, as well as the ingredients' benefits to the scalp and the hair.
To make the shampoo you will need a small pump bottle (found in most travel kits), a 1/4 cup measuring cup, and a funnel.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Dr Bonner's Castile Soap
1/4 cup water
10 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
Splash peppermint essential oil

Directions:

Add the drops and splash of essential oils to 1/4 cup of water and stir. 
Add the water with essential oils to the bottle.
Pour in 1/4 cup of castile soap.
Fasten the pump to the bottle and gently shake the contents.

Dr Bonner's castile soaps make a fabulous base for the shampoo because of their ingredients. This is from the label of the almond soap:

"Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Organic Palm Kernel Oil*, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Natural Almond Fragrance, Citric Acid, Tocopherol"

The essential oils have specific attributes that are excellent for the scalp.

Rosemary: has been used as an ingredients in shampoos for centuries by many cultures. Along with containing astringent properties, rosemary also stimulates blood flow as well as acts as a stimulant.

Lavender: has also been used for centuries dating back to the ancients Greeks and Romans. It also contains stimulating and antibacterial properties.

Peppermint: contains menthol and can reduce dandruff and gives hair shine and can help hair growth.



Sources: