Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Raw Sauerkraut

It's time for a new recipe! It's been awhile....

Today we talk Raw Foods. They are important in so many ways for your body. One being they have enzymes that help you digest your food properly and you should include them in every meal you cook. So, that said, I have been told that Raw Sauerkraut is the ultimate in raw foods. Its very different from the pasteurized kind and is full of vitamins, beneficial bacteria and live enzymes. It good for your waist line and supposedly your sex life.... who knew. But true Raw Sauerkraut can be very expensive in the health food market and that has stopped me from stocking it in my fridge regularly.

Low and behold this recipe landed in my lap a little while ago. It's from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS, CN. Worth picking up and reading. There is nothing I don't like about this book. This recipe sounds more complicated then it is. Once you make it once you'll see how truly easy ad delicious it is.

Raw Sauerkraut
Makes about 1 Quart

1 Large Head or Red or Green Cabbage
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt

Remove the outer layers and reserve from cabbage. Slice cabbage after removing the hard inter core. A food processor can make this job easier.

Place the cabbage in a bowl and top with salt. Use a blunt object to pound the cabbage until the natural juices release and the volume has reduced.

Place cabbage and juice into a wide mouth quart jar. Place the reserved cabbage leaves on top and press down so juices rise above cabbage. Cover jar.

Place jar in a cool spot away from heat and light. Let jar sit for 3-5 days tasting occasionally. Once it has fermented and become tangy and it becomes translucent the sauerkraut is done. Remove the leaves from top, cover and place in fridge. Use as desired.

Enjoy. To you health!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Famous Sausage Dip

Oh Yes People... I am finally giving it up! You have been begging for this recipe for ever. It's one of the most popular dips I do and at every party people rave. Little did you know it was so easy. Give it a go... great for the football season!!!!

Blue Heron's Sausage Dip

1 lb. Spicy Sausage
1 (10 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
1 (8 oz) Cream Cheese (softened)
¾ cup  Jack Cheese (shredded)

Cook sausage till brown, drain. Add cream cheese and tomatoes. Turn off heat and then add half the cheese and spoon into a casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or till bubbling.

Serve with corn chips.

You can make this your own by buying different spicy sausages or diced tomatoes with things in it such as chilies. Also different cheese work, I like jalapeno jack. You can make it as spicy or not as you like.

You will thank me at your next football party! Have fun with it!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

With all the gluten free baking I'm doing lately, I wanted to share a super easy peanut butter cookie recipe I make. Give it a try.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 2 Dozen

1 egg
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

Beat together egg, sugar, baking soda and vanilla. Add peanut butter and mix till smooth.

Drop teaspoon fulls of batter onto lightly greased baking sheet and flatten lightly with the back of a fork.

Bake 10 minutes until lightly set. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy!


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

A Great Gluten-Free Conversion Chart

To all those that have to live with gluten intolerance, I feel for you. I have a lot of clients that are and have developed a lot of great recipes to provide quality foods to them. Here is conversion chart a friend gave me for baking mix that might help you in your search for a way to have your cake and eat it too. I hope it helps. Happy Baking!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Avocado Season

I grew up with a 40 acre avocado ranch in my family and we ate avocados during the summer like they were going out of style. That was when everyone thought avocados were filled with fat and that wasn't good in a low fat crazy world. But we know better now that avocados are filled with fats that are GOOD for you! Not only that, but they are rich in antioxidant vitamins A,C and E that protect you from damage from free radicals and  help prevent conditions such as heart disease.

Avocados also help you adsorb antioxidants from other fruits and veggies eaten at the same time. They are also a good source of potassium for your blood pressure and energizing B vitamins for anti-stress. So eat up!

There are many recipes that include avocados in them these days. One of my favorite ways to eat them is plain and simple with a balsamic vinaigrette but most people love guacamole.

Here's a very simple recipe for a great guacamole:

4 Ripe Hass Avocados
1/4 cup (of your favorite) Salsa
1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
Sea Salt to taste

Mash together peeled and seeded avocados with lemon juice and salsa, salt to taste and eat. That simple and look at all the benefits you're getting.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Dairy Free Mango Lassi

A full raw diet is controversial these days. Some say go full raw but I believe in adding as much raw foods as you can. They are healthy and full of live enzymes and vitamins your body needs. I could never give up meat totally and sorry but I do love my pancakes and such.

One of my favorite raw food diet cook books is Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo. The book is full of great information about helping the environment and good things for your body. I really like her thoughts and the food she has in this book is easy to prepare compared to a lot of raw food books. It's worth picking up and adding some raw food recipes into your diet.

Recently after all the holiday and birthday parties I have attended I decided to go raw for three days, a detox of sorts and allow my body to rest. Mostly juicing I used a few of her smoothies and her green machine juice in her book. As an Indian food lover, I appreciate her recipe for Mango Lassi that is made with raw foods and is dairy free. A mango lassi in Indian cuisine is filled with dairy and yummy stuff but this version is just as yummy and is so good for you!

Mango Lassi - makes 4 servings
By Ani Phyo

3 cups purified water
2 mango's, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/4 cup soaked almonds*
1/2 cup pitted fresh dates
1 vanilla bean (1 tsp vanilla extract can be substituted)

Blend in a high speed blender (such as Vita Mix) 2 cups water with mango, almonds, dates and vanilla bean until smooth. Add remaining water and blend until smooth.

This will keep for three days in the fridge.

*soak almonds over night in purified water, rinse and use.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Tart Cherries and Your Health

As Washington is starting to see their first cherries appearing in the stores, I thought it a good time to discuss how wonderful this little stone fruit is for you. Tart cherries have an amazing ability to keep inflammation at bay. The sour variety is most beneficial with higher anthocyanin content but sweet does the trick too. The darker the cherry the better they are for you. They are also a great natural source of melatonin to help regulate biorhythms and sleep pattens, and help break down uric acid in the joint of those suffering from gout. An amazing little fruit!

My favorite ways to eat cherries is fresh but they are so yummy in a crisp that I make one every year to celebrate this time of year. This recipe is also fabulous with apples in the fall.

Cherry Crisp

5 cups fresh cherries ~ pitted (I suggest tart cherries for this)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashion rolled oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine salt
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sliced flaked almonds
2 Tbsp. chopper crystallized ginger
1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375F

Mix cherries with cornstarch and place in a baking dish with 2 inch sides. In a large bowl mix together flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Add rest of ingredients and using a pastry cutter or two knives work butter until mixture is crumbly and butter is evenly distributed. Crumble mixture over cherries.

Bake crisp until topping is golden about 50 minutes. Remove dish from oven and let cool.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!