Cranberry Apple Pecan Ferment

This cranberry sauce will delight your fermenting friends (as well as those that don't know they love ferments;-)

-1 bag of cranberries
-1 large chopped apple
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
-1 cup chopped pecans
-1/2 cup apple juice

In a medium sauce pan cook cranberries and apple juice until cranberries are soft; mash cranberries until they are saucy.  Let mixture cool.  Once cool add apple, pecans and maple syrup.  Add maple syrup 1 tablespoon at a time and taste after each addition.  Stop when mixture is sweet enough for you and your family.  Pour into a fermenting jar and let sit 3-5 days.  ENJOY!

Side note:  When I made this I added 1/4 cup of beet kvass to inoculate the mixture.  You can do the same with a probiotic pill, whey, kraut juice or any other juice from a previous ferment.

Anytime Cookies

Lynna makes these lovely cookies and they are WONDERFUL!

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup sweet potato puree
• 1/4 cup raisins (plus 2 or 3 dried apricots)
• 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 4 egg whites (can use the entire egg, but Celia has an allergy to the yolks, so Lynna kindly leaves them out:)
• 1 1/2 tsps cinnamon
• 1 - 2 tsps vanilla extract
• unrefined love by the heap
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• handful of mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsps-ish raisins
• scant 2 tbsps chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bake/steam sweet potato (2 small-med, I think.  Always go with more and eat the leftovers!)
3. Blend/process warm potato and coconut oil.  Dump in bowl. 
4. Blend/process eggs and dried fruit.  Add to bowl. (Can do 3 & 4 and then all ingredients together if your machine is inclined to handle it.  Just don't cook the eggs with the hot potato.)
5. Add rest of ingredients and mix well.
6. Using large tablespoon, drop the dough in heaping spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  (Note ~ they don't rise or spread.)
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are golden on top and slightly brown along the edges. Serve immediately or store in the freezer.  We love them straight for freezer or packed for a day away from home. 

This recipe is originally for Anytime Cookies from Nourished Kitchen.  It is amazingly flexible.  I've done the original. Also, subbed extra coconut oil in place of the sweet potato. Mixed sun-butter with the oil.  Used mashed banana in place of the potato.  If using whole eggs, I will use 2. Spices can include allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, etc. For sweetener, I've used the original 6 dates, all dried apricots, mix of raisins and cranberries, honey and molasses, fig preserves.  Add ins can obviously be any nut, seed, fruit creations.  I'm thinking of trying a sweet potato rosemary combination!  Play around and have fun!

Read more: http://nourishedkitchen.com/anytime-cookies-against-all-grain/#ixzz2lZAYnFW1

Pineapple Kraut

Lynna recently made a version of this with some slight changes, but the "general" recipe is below... It is probably the BEST kraut I've ever had...

2 large heads of green cabbage / cored and sliced thin or grated (we use food processor)
2 cups of carrots / peeled and sliced very thin or grated (we use food processor)
4 medium onions / quartered lengthwise and sliced very thin (note, we recommend using on 1 onion)
2 T. dried oregano / use fresh if you have it. (skipped this and used cilantro instead, either would be good).
1 mini habanero pepper / seeds removed and diced very tiny
4 T. sea salt – Celtic Grey or Himalayan Pink ( you also can use a good quality fine sea salt or Redmond Real Salt )  (could weigh veggies and add 6.33 grams of salt per pound of veggies)
2 cups pineapple – diced and set aside to be added after pounding

Mix, pound and add to your airtight jar.  Let sit at 50-75 degrees for 4 weeks, 5 weeks, ... 10 weeks....taste and decide when you like it best.

Spinach Mac 'N "Cheese"

This recipe comes from this blog (with some changes):

http://www.bringyourownlentils.com/2013/09/green-mac-n-cheese.html

My kids LOVED it!  And grandpa said it was INCREDIBLE! 

Makes 2-3 servings

1 box of quinoa, rice, or whole-wheat pasta (elbows are traditionally used)

1 8oz bag raw cashews soaked in salt water for 12-24 hours 

1 small-medium red onion (or regular onion...that is what I used)

2/3 cup Nutritional Yeast

5 cups spinach (or heck, use the entire 16 oz box! More is better!)

water or veggie broth as needed (or bone broth if you want to boost the mineral content)

Cook the pasta or grain of your choice according to the package.

While the pasta is cooking, add the cashews, nutritional yest into a blender or food processor.  Blend again until creamy adding more liquid if needed (probably need 1/4 cup more liquid).

Now roughly chop the onion and place on a skillet with just a little bit of water to sauté the onions.

Once the onions start to caramelize, add the spinach and cook for another minute or until the spinach is wilted and begins to cook down.

Add the onion and spinach to the blended mixture and blend/process again until bright green and creamy. Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Once the pasta is al dente, pour the Green “Cheese” over the hot noodles and serve.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew

So much more than a sum of its parts

*This calls for already prepared black beans*

     1 Tbs. coconut oil

    1 large onion, chopped

    2 or more cloves garlic, minced

    2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

    1 large red bell pepper, diced

    2 cups diced tomatoes

    1 dollop of love

    1 small hot pepper, or to taste, minced

    4 cups black beans, (already soaked, rinsed, and cooked)

    1 mango, diced

    ¼ cup or more chopped fresh cilantro

    ¼ tsp. salt or to taste

(Instead of adding the last 3 ingredients, you could enjoy the stew with a yummy serving of fermented mango salsa!)

 

Saute onion and garlic in oil.    Stir in sweet potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes, chili, love,  and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender but still firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

   

Stir in beans and simmer gently, uncovered, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in mango and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in cilantro and salt. Serve hot.  Goes nicely with corn tortillas and sautéed greens.  Or plain yogurt. 

Spiced sweet potato muffins (gluten free)

1 C ground almond                               (I get them as fine as my blender/food processor will allow, but calling it flour would be a stretch)

1 C ground oats                                   (again, blended myself)

1 C sweet potato puree

1/4 C coconut oil

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Lots and lots of love

3/4 C loosely piled dark brown sugar (original recipe calls for 3/4 packed I am guessing I probably end up with about 1/2 - 2/3 packed depending on my mood, who I am serving, etc)

3 TBS molasses

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 C yogurt or buttermilk

pumpkin/sunflower/any seeds or nuts for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease muffin pans or use cup liners.  (I am having the best luck with If You Care liners.  As I was writing this I looked them up and am not thrilled to find they are treated with silicone, but wow! they make GF muffin baking a lot easier for me!)

Grind/process almonds.  Grind/process oats.  Dump both into large bowl. Steam sweet potato. Blend/process with coconut oil.  Blend in vanilla, molasses, and (when cool enough) eggs.  Set aside.

Add sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda to flours.  Mix well.

Add the blended wet ingredients to dry, mix in yogurt/buttermilk and love.

Scoop into muffin cups, sprinkle with seeds/nuts.  Bake 15 - 20 minutes (I tend to have to let mine go a bit longer even sometimes, so they aren't mushy.)

This is adapted from Ellie Krieger's pumpkin muffins found here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/pumpkin-muffins-recipe/index.html

Variations that work:  pureed carrots, acorn/butternut squash, or the original pumpkin

Add ins: chopped frozen cranberries, bits of chocolate, seeds/nuts (have not tried dried fruit yet, but would be yummy I think.  Oooo ~ and shredded coconut).

I think adding cardamom, or mixing it up with bergamot would be fun, too.

Beet Kvass

This lovely tonic is said to be super, super, super healthy!!!  I believe it!

-2-3 beets chopped (you don't have to peel)
-4 cups water (well or spring water, no chlorine)
-19 grams salt

Fill jar with chopped beets.  Mix salt and water and stir until salt is dissolved (or mostly).  Pour salt water (this is your brine) over beets (you want the beets to be completely covered), put on airlock and leave on the counter 7 days (or so, if really warm in your house check after 3-4 days).

Fermented Beets, Daikon Radish and Carrots

It fall and to us that means FERMENTING!!!  So here is another fermenting recipe...

-2-3 carrots
-1 large daikon radish
-1 large beet
-sea salt

Shred veggies; I use a food processor but a grater works too.  Weigh the veggies and for every pound of veggies add 6.33 grams of salt.  Mix salt and veggies together (this is most easily accomplished with your hands).  Let sit for about 20 minutes or until you notice lots of juice.  Pack salt veggie mixture into your fermenting jar, add airlock and let sit for 3-7 days depending on temperature in your house.  When it tastes sour-ish (like a yummy ferment!) put in the fridge.  This ferment will keep for 6+ months in your fridge.

A picture of the carrot, daikon, beet ferment is below (the jar to the right).  In this jar is ~ 3 pounds of veggies.  The jar to the left has Beet Kvass.  Beet Kvass is super easy to make...(see next post).

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Fermented Mango Salsa

Makes 1 quart

3 1/2 cups diced mango

1/2 cup diced pineapple

basil leaves if you have them

healthy bunch (1 - 1.5 cups) chopped cilantro (key!)

whole bunch of love (also key!)

1 cup minced onion

5 grams salt

1/2  finely minced, seeded jalapeno

zest of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix together in a bowl and spoon into 2 pint jars, 1 quart jar, or 1 liter pickl-it/Fido.  Compact, tap sides, wish it well, put on cap and don't forget water in airlock :-)

     

This is originally a pico de gallo recipe I converted for fruit.  All mango would be yummy, but I happened to have some pineapple around so I added it.  Peach could be exciting in it, too!  I happened to have yellow onion but think red might be really nice.  Garlic would be a tasty (and good for you!) addition ~ either at the beginning or right before serving.  Experiment with a splash of orange juice or a little brine if you'd prefer juicier/sweeter/saltier.  

Use your own personal tastes and room temperature to guide how long you let it ferment.  I think anywhere from 2 - 5 days is a good guideline. 

On a personal note ~ this recipe, for me, screams fish tacos.  Yum!   But I don't see it lasting long enough after all of my sneak spoonfuls from the jar so I think I have to double or triple the recipe next time. 

Here is a picture of this lovely ferment!  The yellow rubber band around the lid makes it easier to get the lid off (Thank you Lynna for this awesome idea!).

UPDATE:  Celia made a batch of this yesterday (the one pictured above was from Lynna).  Here is a picture of this lovely ferment.  I used red onion and an Asian pear instead of pineapple.  Anxiously waiting to eat this super yummy ferment!

Chocolate Mousse (No bake, super easy, dairy free, sugar free)

1 can coconut milk, preferably unshaken and chilled

5 TBS cocoa powder

love

1 C dates

1 tsp vanilla

In a blender, combine the thickest part of the coconut milk that has risen to the top (err on the side of being inclusive), the cocoa powder, and dates.  Blend, pour into ramekins, fancy glasses, a small mason jar, etc, refrigerate, and prepare for a mouthgasm. 

I have made a vanilla version omitting cocoa, upping vanilla, and using dried apricots as the fruit.  It is a very versatile recipe (as you know all of mine must be!)  Dried cranberries or blueberries might be fun, and I believe I've used raisins.  If the dried fruit is too dry, soak in warm water and drain before blending. 

Sweet potato custard. No wait. Sweet potato flan. Or maybe sweet potato pudding?

I wish I could tell you how much I truly love this recipe.  I implore you to try it :-)  Pretty please with molasses on top. <3  Love, Lynna

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, approx 1.5 cups.  Steamed and pureed

1/4 cup molasses.  or honey.  or a mix.

1/2 tsp salt 

1/4+ tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice 

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

pinch of clove

sprinkle of nutmeg and cardamom if you are so moved

heaping scoop of love

5 eggs, beaten

1 and 1/4 cup coconut milk.  (It is good with cow milk, but outstanding with coconut.)

2 tsp vanilla extract 

coconut oil, butter, or ghee for oiling ramekins, coffee mugs, pyrex dish, etc

OPTIONAL GARNISH:

3 TBS shredded coconut, unsweetened 

1 and 1/2 TBS brown sugar (or coconut sugar.  or probably other sugars of which I am unfamiliar.)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Fill roasting pan with 1" water, place in oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Basically, you want to mash and mix everything very well.  I blend sweet potato with coconut milk to cool it and then add everything else right to the blender and whirl away.

 Pour into baking vessels.  I use a mix of little mugs and different sizes of small pyrex dishes to bake.  They all seem to get done at similar times.  I think doing it all in a pie plate would be swell, too. 

Mix topping ingredients together and then sprinkle on, if desired.

Place in water bath.  Bake 35-40 minutes.  Center can be slightly jiggley.  Carefully remove from oven and let cool. 

Welcome and Beefy Tomato Soup!

Welcome to Yum Recipes!  A blog with a collection of our favorite recipes.  I'll start with a standard dinner in our house...

Beefy Tomato Soup

-2-3 large carrots chopped
-1 onion chopped
-4 cups bone broth or veggie broth or water
-1 pound ground beef
-1/2 pound of ground liver (if you dare;-)
-1 cup corn
-1 small jar of tomato paste
-other veggies that you have on hand :-) (sweet potatoes are an especially nice addition)
-herbs as you like (thyme goes really well)

Brown ground beef in a cast iron skillet.  Mix ingredients together and cook until carrots are soft.