Little Book Review + Soaking & Sprouting Nuts & Seeds

My latest favorite library find: DIY Nut Milks, Nut Butters & More by Melissa King.

I want to devour this whole book!  It goes far beyond your basic almond milk or peanut butter.

It got me in the kitchen making my own nut & seed milks.  (The winner? My own blend of soaked almonds & sunflowers, which made for an extra-creamy, flavorful refresher!)

 There are lots of beautiful dishes using the basic milk & butter recipes, many of them no-bake; perfect for summer! (the White Chocolate Coconut Fudge looks utterly to-die-for.)  These are decadent but doable, as well as totally good for you! 

Each recipe is vegan and gluten free. Most importantly, all are recipes which use pure, whole foods.  

I especially appreciate the chapter with ideas for using up the nut pulp usually leftover from making nut milk, which was something I'd had a hard time utilizing before. It ended up in the compost a few times, which seemed a terrible waste of food, so I quit making nut milks. Not anymore!

I love the large variety of ideas in this compact book. Definitely the best book on the subject that I have yet seen. 

A bit About Soaked Almonds

I've talked about these here before. When almonds (and other nuts & seeds) are soaked, the enzymes that aid in their digestion are released. The nutrients, many of which are essentially dormant in the unsoaked state, are made more available for our use. 

Also, most nuts and seeds, when unsoaked, are acidifying to the body; a soaked nut or seed has the opposite effect.

Soaking is a gentle process which does nothing to damage the good things of the nut, things like selenium and Vitamin E, and optimizes them for quicker absorption into the body.    

We don't have to try as hard to digest a soaked almond, and so, they are a quick source of energy.  I can't get over the feeling of instant alertness that comes over me every time I eat them (or drink them!).

Unlike sprouting seeds and nuts, which can take days, soaking takes only an overnight dip in water to uncover all these health benefits. 

I think that everyone should try their hands at this process; it's so easy to do and takes very little time. 

There is no set recipe: just place 1 cup of your favorite nut or seed in a bowl and fill with water to cover by at least one inch (almonds especially expand many times over during the soaking process) and let them soak overnight. (See my tips on how to store these without refrigeration) Once soaked & drained, they can be eaten as is or blended with fresh, cold water & strained to make milk. 

Give them a try & let me know what you think!    

Persimmon + Ginger Kombucha

This honey-gold brew is especially delicious this time of year. 

It combines the taste of a ginger beer with that of the buttery-sweet persimmons

to make a slightly fizzy, balanced beverage that is neither too sweet nor too tart. 

Finally, a good use for overripe persimmons; in fact, the softer the better for this recipe.

The ducks are always interested in what we're eating, even kombucha!

Depending on how ripe your persimmons are, you may be able to just remove the stem at the top and put the soft fruit into the kombucha to infuse as is. 

[Below: Ducky was very interested in the bag of persimmons, and persisted his begging until we gave him a piece of one, which he wasn't thrilled with. The girls were more interested in the delights the flat of calendulas had to offer them.

  

Coco's big eyes widen at the sighting of a particularly juicy-looking slug: ]
Aren't her petite little tootsies just adorable!?

This was my first attempt at infusing kombucha, using my very first home-brewed batch. 

It turned out so much better than I'd hoped - a raging success. I can't really believe it!

Quality ginger-root is key here.

Look for the smaller, golden-fleshed roots that have been showing up recently in health food markets; these are grown in Peru and are far more potent than their larger, grown-in-China counterparts. Of course, homegrown would be far superior to any roots you could buy.  

Persimmon + Ginger Kombucha
________________________________

You will need 1 1/2 cups of diced fruit and a roughly 1-inch length of thinly-sliced, unpeeled fresh ginger root for every half-gallon of kombucha you plan to infuse.

Start with plain homebrewed kombucha that is finished fermenting to your taste.

Brew a fresh batch of sweetened tea for your SCOBY.

Set aside one cup plain finished tea for inocculating the new tea.

The rest of the finished kombucha can be infused.

To infuse, place the kombucha into a clean jar and add the diced fruit and ginger.

    Let this infuse for about three days, or to taste. The finished brew should be slightly effervescent and a beautiful deep golden-orange color.

This can be sipped as is, or, for more carbonation, bottle and refrigerate for a day or two, until the desired amount of bubbles is reached.

Our first forays into dehydrating

Recently, we've been up to our elbows in delicious, local fruit. Many neighbors have offered us a share of their beautiful fruit trees' harvests.  Besides devouring fresh fruit, and canning a little bit, we've dehydrated.

Dehydrating does an excellent job of reducing the bulk and weight of produce, without destroying nutrients, as cooking can.  And, I was quite surprised to see it; home-dehydrated fruit keeps its color beautifully, without anything at all added to preserve it.

 When there's just not enough time in the day to can it all, it's time to break out the dehydrator.  Ours is an old model, very 80's with it's wood-look exterior, quite roomy and in mint condition.

In contrast to canning, the whole process was very meditative. It was just chopping the fruit, placing it carefully spaced on the trays, and flipping the switch to "on". 
  After that, just let the machine hum quietly the next day or two, until the produce is fully dry; it'll be either crisp and snap when bent, or leathery, depending on the type of fruit.
   Apples, peaches, and oranges were crisp, where plums, bananas, and grapes stayed leathery.

Dehydrating food may not be as glamorous as putting up jewel-colored, canned preserves, but nevertheless is an exceptional way to store food for the long term safely.      

Anyone can do this; it's just so easy. The key is to get the freshest produce, then follow these steps:      

First, start on a warm, dry day (this will help speed the process). 

Gather the best produce you can find.    

Apples, grapes, oranges,

                                                    plums, and peaches all work well.

Slice, place on dehydrator racks, and set machine to run.

 After fully dry, store the bounty, in glass or pottery (plastic will flavor the food) and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with preserving quality food.

Further reading: see Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook ,

a selection from my canning & preserving book list.



Pickled Jalepenos

These are also known as vegetables en escabeche; marinated, basically. 
Pickled jalepenos are a particular favorite of mine; I've been known to eat almost a whole can of them in a day.  They go with everything.
Adding the brine is my secret to incredible guacamole!  

As a variation, you can mix & match vegetables; I combined carrots with the jalepenos to make pickles just like the ones that we get from a local taco place. They're truly addictive!  

This takes up so little time from start to finish; it's the perfect pickling project for beginners and busy, busy people alike.

PICKLED JALEPENOS

1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons pink salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 large bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, sliced
8 or more large jalepenos, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds -
   as many as needed to fill the jar to within 1 inch of the top.

Combine water, vinegar, salt, the celery, cumin, and coriander seeds, the peppercorns, and the oregano in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
While the brine comes to a boil, pack the jalepenos into a quart jar, and place the garlic evenly distributed throughout. Add the bay leaf.
Pour the hot brine into the filled jar, covering the jalepenos completely. Let cool to room temperature, cap the jar, and then refrigerate for at least one week to allow the flavors to fully develop.
These only get better with time, but they're so delicious, they don't last.

Adapted slightly from It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow        

Chocolate Pudding

Rich, glossy & sumptuous, this incredible pudding is made with only a handful of ingredients and it couldn't be easier to prepare. 

The recipe this is based off of called for ingredients to be thrown in the food processor, which I don't have. So I tried using the blender, which didn't get me anywhere. 

It's much easier to do this by hand than to use the blender. The key is to completely mash the avocado before adding the other ingredients. After that, just whip it up & try not to eat it all!

Who knew that avocado could be turned into such a silky, luxurious treat?

The avocados - any kind will work - should be really, really ripe for the best texture; in fact, this would make excellent use of slightly overripe avocados.

I used saguaro honey (continuing the "what grows together goes together" theme), but any kind would be good.  A 50/50 mix of regular and Dutch-process cocoa was used for this, but either would be fine. 

Try adding a drop of almond extract along with the vanilla for a variation. It's amazing.

Chocolate Pudding

2 large avocados

5 Tablespoons cocoa powder   

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Splash of almond milk

Fully mash the peeled avocados; whisk to remove any lumps.

Add the rest of the ingredients, and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Pudding should be uniformly colored, and it'll be quite thick.

(Extra almond milk can be added to thin it down if needed.)

Makes enough for two.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Leftovers. Like that's gonna happen!

an *anyfig.blogspot.com* recipe; adapted

 from a Whole Living recipe

Alfredo Sauce // Raw, Vegan

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

2/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup almond meal
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 - 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
salt & pepper, to taste
Sprig rosemary, chopped fine
Garlic and onion powders, to taste

First, blend milk & walnuts on high, then add the almond meal; blend to combine. The mixture will be quite thick at this point. With blender running on low, add the rest of the ingredients, one by one.
Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. This takes more pepper, and less salt, than expected.  
The nutritional yeast can get too strong, so add carefully.
Lemon juice is an absolute must - lending the required tanginess without overpowering, as vinegar does.

If sauce is too thick, add more almond milk and blend to thin it.

Important:

don't toss this with hot noodles; the heat will cause the sauce to "curdle".

It won't be smooth and  silky like alfredo sauce should be; it'll still taste good, however.

Garnish with lemon thyme - delicious!

Lemon zest would be a good addition to the sauce, as would most any herb. 

This, on sauteed mushrooms? It'd be amazing!

This would also make an excellent salad dressing.

It's just an added bonus that it's raw, vegan, and actually GOOD for you!

Inspired by a recipe in the April 2014 issue of Taste for Life

Angelfood Cake Shake

This tastes remarkably like angelfood cake.

 When I say that, I mean, the best of the cake, as I know it - almond-y, sweet, light - is condensed, except raw and vegan, of course, and in drinkable form! 

This shake was made up on the spot, another recipe from The Accomplice.

It makes good use of soaked almonds - raw almonds which have been almost-sprouted by an overnight soak in cold water to cover.  When prepared this way, almonds retain their crunch, but are much more easily digested than the unsoaked version, they're quenching and very addicting and once you try them, you won't want to go back to unsoaked. I'm definitely spoiled for life for any others.
Soaked almonds keep several days at room temperature as long as the soaking water is replaced with fresh, cold water each day.  They make an amazing snack just on their own.      

Vanilla bean would add greatly to this.

Angelfood Cake Shake

_______________________________

2/3 - 1 cup Medjool dates

About 5 cups water

2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 cup soaked almonds*

5 drops almond extract

Blend dates, water, and tahini until dates are

broken into tiny pieces. Blend again.

Then add the almonds, blending until broken down.

Let settle; then blend again.

By now it should all be emulsified.

Add extract and blend a final time.

Drink immediately. 

*see above for description

an original recipe from anyfig.blogspot.com

Millet & Lentil Salad + Cumin & Lime

A riff on the tabbouleh salad I love so much, served at a local Mediterranean food place,

this version is gluten-free and very colorful.

It's fresh and bright; sure to put a spring in your step.

 

Millet is incredibly good for you, loaded with B-vitamins and one of the few alkalizing grains.

The parsley is rich in minerals and very purifying for the kidneys. The lentils provide high-quality protein, and when combined with grains like rice or millet, a complete protein.

Limes are also alkalizing. The apricots are a source of vitamin A, an essential for the eyes. 

                        This salad comes together very quickly.  It's ideal as a clean option for lunch. 

Cumin-Lime Millet Salad

1 1/2 cup millet

1/2 cup lentils, regular, brown/green

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

7 cups hot water ~ cold can be used; it'll just

    take longer to come to a boil 

      Onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed,

 rosemary, oregano, & salt - to taste

Toast the first three ingredients in a dry pan over medium heat

until deeply golden and deliciously fragrant.

Add water & spices, bring to a boil, then lower heat and

simmer, covered, until liquid is mostly absorbed.

Meanwhile, finely chop

1 cup dried apricots 

 1 Persian cucumber 

1 bunch parsley 

                                                  1 bunch green onions ~ using both green and white parts

Add chopped apricots to cooked millet mixture;
cover to let apricots plump up; remove from heat. 

Toss the next three ingredients together in a large bowl.
Once millet mixture is cooled, add about half of it to the bowl & stir to
 combine it all; you want a good millet-to-veggie ratio; half may be enough, and you can always add more.

Finally, dress the salad with
a generous drizzle of quality olive oil,
the juice of 3 limes & their zest (if using zest, grate limes over salad prior to squeezing them) 
and salt & pepper to taste.

Serve with additional lime wedges and mint tea to drink. Enjoy!

** an original recipe from http://anyfig.blogspot.com ** 

Soda Bread

This is the only photographic record of the two loaves of soda bread I made over the last couple days.

 They disappeared fast.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, of course, soda bread is sort-of tradition around here. 

Looking at the recipe we've always used, I was momentarily appalled; two eggs;

 so much buttermilk! And sour cream. I was not about to use those ingredients, let alone that amount.

I remembered reading something about how coconut milk can be used to replace sour cream (or was it yogurt? Or both?).  And I knew that if you add an acid to milk you can substutute it for buttermilk.

So, thus began the experimental vegan-izing of Irish Soda Bread.

It turned out quite well.

I didn't want to use 3 whole cups of raisins, and we didn't have regular ones anyway.

Golden raisins were substituted to good effect; they lend the loaf an excellent tang, a brightness.

Also, we discovered that, like many breads, this is best eaten fully cooled, preferably the next day. 

This soda bread is amazing when paired with tea. Try it dunked in a robust black tea (we had Twinings "Irish Breakfast" tea) with a little leftover coconut milk stirred in.

A delicious & quick snack.

This also goes perfectly with pea soup.

My Soda Bread  

1/2 cup natural cane sugar

1 cup oat flour

3 cups all purpose flour (unbleached)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups golden raisins

2 Tbsp flaxseed meal

6 Tbsp warm water

2 cups full-fat coconut milk

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9" glass pie plate (deep-dish). Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the raisins.

In a smaller bowl, combine the milk & lemon juice; set aside.

In a glass, stir together the flaxmeal & warm water; set aside for about 10 minutes.

Whisk this flax mixture, then combine with the coconut mixture; stir well until combined.

Pour mixture over the dry ingredients. Fold everything together until flour is just moistened.

Pour dough into prepared dish and smooth top. 

Bake 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan, then cut into wedges.  

   

** An original recipe from http://anyfig.blogspot.com **

Pea shoots, from garden to table

Pea shoots are in season right now, and taste so very green and vibrant - a sure sign of spring to come.  I love picking them from the garden, snacking as I go.

According to peashoots.com, they have seven times more Vitamin C than blueberries! No wonder they hit the spot.  They are amazing just plain, but they make an exceptional garnish for soups - uncooked, of course.  (Vitamin C is one of the most easily-lost nutrients when cooked.)

I made a version of this soup today, using available ingredients, and using coconut oil instead of sunflower. I also omitted the ginger tea powder and used fresh-grated ginger + coconut sugar instead.  I also left out the jasmine tea, and used liquid from some steamed vegetables that happened to be on hand.

The vegetables used usually reflect the time of the year - this batch for instance, with collards, broccoli, and cauliflower, as well as pea shoots, seems somewhere in between winter and spring.     

As you can see, the recipe can be varied widely - sometimes I've added sweet potatoes at the start with the onions, or sometimes carrots. As long as the essentials of ginger, onions, mushrooms, and soy sauce are used, the rest of the ingredients can be switched around to your liking.   

 Here's to spring. Enjoy!

Rice pudding, revisited + a variation

Possibly my favorite dessert, ever.

This version of my rice pudding uses meyer lemon zest for an extra kick. The basic recipe here.
Also, I used coconut oil instead of avocado.  


(NOT an endorsement for Coca-Cola;  I just love the image on the glass)


 This time it turned out much more 'rice-y' - I used a larger rice-to-liquid ratio. I quite like the thick, creamy result!  

I don't know why, but rice pudding just goes perfect around this time of year.

Just in time to celebrate Lunar New Year!

Wake up mid-winter // reflections on childhood visits to the mall + an orange smoothie

  I never really went to the mall that much... but the fact that I did only a few times made them each an occasion. It was a visual feast for a little kid... All the shop fronts and the little 'kiosks'.  I loved to walk by the Hotdog On a Stick booth... just to see (and smell!) the superabundance of sliced lemons on hand for their lemonade.  And the cookie booth! There was always a warm waft of baking coming from that one. And sometimes, for a treat, I would get an Orange Julius. I used to love that!  So I was really disappointed when I looked up a copycat recipe and found all sorts of weird ingredients, things I'm trying to avoid. Some even called for eggs (!) In a drink? I don't think so!

So I'd resigned myself to be content with just the memories... until one day, in a flurry of smoothie-making, I stumbled on a flavor combination that tastes remarkably like the drink as I remember it.  

It began with some Meyer lemons - a gift from a friend. Meyer lemon water is delicious, but.. more could be done.

There were a few persimmons needing to be used up.

And out of practically nothing, my peace of mind was temporarily restored. 

Frothy, orange-y, and delicious. There's no better way to chase off winter blues.

"Orange Julius" Smoothie

__________________________________

1 banana

2 small firm-ripe Fuyu persimmons (or 1 large)

1/2 a Meyer lemon

Juice & pulp of 2 navel oranges

1 cup or so water*                                         

Break or slice the banana into roughly 1 1/2 " pieces and add to blender.

Cut the persimmons, stemmed and seeded if necessary, into quarters; add to bananas.

Chop the lemon, discarding any seeds, but using the skin, and add it to the bananas & persimmons.

Squeeze the oranges over the rest of the fruit, then add the orange pulp, removing any seeds.

Add the water, and blend until smooth.

Makes enough for 2 as a snack, or 1 for breakfast.

 *Alternatively, ice can be used.

Of Birthdays and Biscuits

So, my birthday came and went recently.

Gifts of honey and liqueur, among other things, came my way. Comb honey; sage honey; orange blossom honey; whipped,"creamed", organic honey!

A bounty to add to my collection (which includes the mesquite honey pictured above).  

 I spent the day with family. Togetherness seemed to be the theme: everyone pitched in for dinner and made the meal. Even the cats wanted in on it.  

There was a beautiful cake from Mom and Dad. Mom added fresh raspberrries and blackberries to dazzling effect. Oh so professional - I thought it'd come from the bakery that way! 

None of us could resist the fruit, this being mid-winter, and us being berry fiends, so they didn't last on the cake too long, but as they say, presentation is everything!

  

  There was a BisCake - part Biscuit, part Cake! So delicious and simple. My brother, AKA Hoss, an expert biscuit maker, thought it up spontaneously; why go through all the rolling and cutting if all the dough 

can be baked in a single pan? This method turned out really well. To make it more cake-like, he added a touch more sugar, more flour, and used a full 10 tablespoons of red palm oil. The fact that he used oat flour really made it crumbly and tender. Really incredible.     This was so good, in fact, that a few days later, when The Accomplice had his birthday, he made a request for a BisCake as well, only this time, it was made with barley flour and soaked in pure Grade B maple syrup.

The main course was spaghetti  - an excellent choice for the somewhat chilly night.

The sauce - tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, skillfully seasoned by my other brother and vegan accomplice - was addicting and abundant.  I'd been avoiding wheat for a while, but nevertheless, this really hit the spot!   

Deep, dark Creme Yvette went exceptionally well with the spaghetti.  What the liqueur has to do with my birthday, I haven't a clue, but it's perfect, because the violets are going crazy right now. I finally had an excuse to pick some of them for the pictures!

Leftover bis*cake, crumbled and topped with some of the blackberries and some comb honey made for a memorable breakfast/brunch.   

So. Another one bites the dust. But.

 All in all, a good day.