Sourdough English Muffins from Five Little Homesteaders

This needs to be filed in a safe location for future use, thought my blog would be a great place.  :-)

Five Little Homesteaders: Pantry Revamp: Sourdough English Muffins: This recipe for  sourdough english muffins  is part of the Pantry Revamp series here on Five Little Homesteaders.  To read more about it, ch...

Keep trying to live green, 

Soooo Good Waffles

I forgot to take a pic of it before I over half way devoured it. Lol

I am always looking for a delicious and healthy waffle.  Guess what?  I found one.  Here it is.  My kids loved them!

Waffles
1 1/4 c freshly ground spelt or homemade all purpose (half whole wheat and half barley) I used my homemade all purpose this time
Clabbered raw milk, plain organic yogurt and water or org buttermilk(I used clabbered raw)
2 free range eggs
2 tablespoons grade b maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt (Celtic or Redmonds)
Butter (Kerrygold, RAW or organic)

12-24 hours before you want to eat your waffles place the flour in a glass bowl.  Pour enough clabbered milk, stirring slowly (or organic buttermilk or a combination of plain organic yogurt and water) into the flour to just make it nice and moist.  Cover with a cheesecloth or white unbleached kitchen towel and secure with a rubber band.  Let glass bowl with wet flour set out on your countertop for 12-24 hours.

When you want to prepare your waffles, plug in your waffle maker, remove the cheesecloth from your glass bowl.  Stir in eggs, maple syrup and sea salt.  Then add enough additional clabbered milk, buttermilk or raw milk to achieve the consistency you want for waffles.  You want your waffle batter to be thicker than a pancake batter, keep in mind.

Place butter on a wooden spoon or knife and butter your waffle iron.  Pour batter into iron. My batter was way toooooo thin this morning so I had to cook mine for a loooong time.  

Keep in mind this recipe is not a "win 1st place at a beauty pageant" type of waffle recipe.  And your waffles may not come out as firm as you are used to feeling....but let me tell you, it received a blue ribbon from this judge on flavor!  :-)

And also, I am not proud that I use a teflon waffle maker, not proud at all, but it is what we have right now. :-(

**Always use the ratio of...for every 1/2 cup water use 1 tbsp yogurt when soaking grains or flour.  And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS soak your grains and flour for 12-24 hours before eating them.

Adapted from Kitchen Stewardship An AWESOME blog!

Crispy Almonds and Cashews

Pecans.  Almonds.  Peanuts.  Cashews.  Pepitas (pumpkin seeds).

These 2 recipes are our favorites!  I don't leave for a soccer practice or game without these almonds!  :-)

Crispy Almonds
4 cups almonds, preferable skinless (I can't find skinless)
1 tablespoon sea salt (Redmonds Real or Celtic Sea Salt)
Reverse osmosis or filtered water

Skinless almonds will still sprout, indicating that the process of removing their skins has not destroyed the enzymes.  (The skins are probably removed by a machine process.)  Skinless almonds are easier to digest and more satisfactory in many recipes.  However, you may also use almonds with the skins on.  

Mix almonds with salt and reverse osmosis water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight.  Drain in a colander.  Spread on a stainless steel or baking stone and place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees or lowest temperature your oven will go and leave oven door propped open with a wooden spoon, mine will only go down to 170 degrees) for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally, until completely dry and crisp.  Store in a glass, airtight container.

Variation:  Crispy Almond Slivers
Use 4 cups slivered almonds instead of whole almonds.


Crispy Cashews
4 cups "raw" cashews
1 tablespoon sea salt (Redmonds Real or Celtic Salt)
Reverse osmosis or filtered water

Some care must be taken in preparing cashews.  They will become slimy and develop a disagreeable taste if allowed to soak too long or dry out too slowly, perhaps because they come to us not truly raw but having already undergone two separate heatings.  You may dry them in a 200 to 250 degree oven--the enzymes have already been destroyed processing.

Soak cashews in salt and filtered water for 6 hours (NO LONGER...so set the timer on this one!)   Drain in a colander.  Spread on stainless steel or stone baking sheet or pan and place in a warm oven (about 200 degrees) for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally, until completely dry and crisp.  Store in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!!!

*Taken from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.  A must buy book!!

Soaking Peanuts, Pine Nuts and Hazelnuts

Pecans.  Almonds.  Peanuts.  Cashews.  Pepitas (pumpkin seeds).  

If you missed why you should soak your nuts, read this.

How to Soak Peanuts
Makes 4 cups.

4 cups raw peanuts
1 tbsp sea salt (Redmond Real or Celtic)
Filtered or reverse osmosis water

Mix peanuts with salt and filtered water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight.  Drain and rinse in a colander.  Do not rinse if you want your peanuts a little salty.  Spread peanuts on a baking stone or stainless steel baking pan and place in a warm oven, preheated no higher than 150 degrees for 12-24 hours (if your oven does not go down to 150 degrees F, preheat your oven at its lowest temperature, my ovens is 170 and place a wooden spoon in the door, so your oven door is slightly ajar, leave spoon in door, this will create a temperature very close to 150 degrees).  Stir peanuts occasionally, until completely dry and crisp.  Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

(Peanuts are the only nut for me that does not get crispy.  They are still good, the kids love them, but they are not as crispy as almonds that are soaked and dried.)  

I also recommend, after your peanuts have dried, lay them out on half of a dish towel.  Fold the other half of the dish towel over and sort of massage the peanuts to remove the skins.  Then pick the peanuts up and place them in the glass jar you are going to store them in.  Then take your dish towel outside and shake it to remove the skins.  You can totally eat the skins, they are just a little messy with the dried skins still on.  Store peanuts in refrigerator (makes them last longer).

Variation:  Crispy Pine Nuts
Use 4 cups pine nuts instead of raw peanuts

Variation:  Crispy Hazelnuts
Use 4 cups skinless hazelnuts in place of peanuts.
(To peel hazelnuts, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees until skins turn dark and begin to crack.  Place hazelnuts in a kitchen towel and wrap up tightly.  Hold towel-wrapped nuts in your hands and rub and squeeze for several minutes.  Open up towel--most of the skins should have come off...same as peanut skins above.)

*Adapted from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions Book (a must buy!)

Why Should you Soak Nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc.) Before you Eat Them???

This was one of those GREEN things, that I did not understand.  I put it off to the very last thing on my "how to eat real food list."  And when I finally soaked some almonds and dried them.....wow did I kick myself.  If you like to snack on almonds or any nut.  This is a must read for you.

Soaking is sooo easy, it makes nuts taste 1000% times more delicious and allows your body to actually use the nutrients, vitamins and good stuff that are inside a nut.

My favorite way to soak is all in one day.  My feeling is, get is all done and over with, then I have a refrigerator full of nuts that are ready.  Either to snack on or to cook with.  For example the delicious almonds pancakes I posted here.

Think of it this way.  (Gonna get gross here....)  When you eat nuts that have not been soaked and dried, you eat them, you think to yourself, hey these taste pretty good, down the hatch they go, your body says oh, he or she ate some nuts, great...what do we do with these things....???....well we can't get much nutrition out of them, so out the old poop shoot they go. 

I have heard many people say they notice an "upset stomach" when they eat nuts that have not been soaked.  This is because your body cannot digest them correctly.   When we listen to our bodies we can learn a lot.

So.....why don't we soak 'em and allow your body to say WOW we can actually get a TON of vitamins and minerals and all sorts of nutrition out of these nuts.  Think of it this way...you will eat less when you body can tell you, "hey we've had enough, you can stop eating, you have given us some great vitamins and nutrients."  When the opposite happens with unsoaked nuts.  Your body cannot pull anything from them, so you brain never flips a switch to tell you it's full and you have ate the entire jar of nuts.  So, you actually save yourself money when you soak nuts.  You eat a little and you feel full.  And you have less "upset stomach" issues.  And get soooo much more nutrition out of them soaked.

Got it?  Good.  Now go buy some organic raw nuts (almonds are our fave) and get to SOAKING!!!!!

I will be posting recipes for each nut separately.  :-)  Soaked nuts make a GREAT snack!  Try some with raw cheese or a glass of REAL milk....delish and oh so filling.  :-)

And don't forget to reread my post on soaking oats, rice and beans here.

Do You Eat Oats, Rice or Beans? You have to read this!!

 How to make you own "quick cooking oats" that will be ready in a snap in the morning.  :-)

This is what oats look like after soaking over night.

 



Rinse well with cool water.

Tap strainer to remove water and place oats in saucepan.

 






    

Add milk and cook over medium heat.

Our favs.  (We no longer drink this type of milk.  ;-) )  
And I recommend raw unrefined honey bought locally.

If you eat oats, rice, quinoa, couscous, dried beans or any other grain, this post is a MUST READ!

When I learned what I am getting ready to share with you, my life and my health was changed forever.



What oats look like in their natural state.

Oats

I have been buying organic thick cut oats for a while now and love them.  "Nourishing traditions" recommends not buying rolled or cracked (steel cut) oats from bulk bins as they may be rancid.  But to buy them in packages or, better yet to grind the oats coarsely yourself in a grain grinder or roll your own, if you want (I would love to do this one day!).  I have been buying mine from the bulk section at Whole Foods and fortunately, have had no problems.  You can also buy Bob's Red Mill in the clear bag at Meijer, Bob's is not organic but it is still good.

For as long as I can remember I was told to not buy steel cut oats or quick cooking oats, due to their lack of vitamins and nutrients from the way they are over processed.  I never thought to question this, but after a reader contacted me about this, I did some research and I stand corrected....steel cut oats actually contain more fiber than rolled oats!  So, eat away at the cracked or steel cut oats!  Just make sure you soak them.  And cracked or steel cut oats do take longer to cook due to the fact that they are minimally processed (oh how I love that....less processing = healthier for me and my family, in my opinion).  When you research this topic it looks more like splitting hairs, but I'm going to choose the path less processed.  :-) 

As far as the quick cooking oats that I was brought up with, Quaker brand for example, I do not see any nutritional difference when I research this topic, just an even thinner cut oat.  Having not soaked the Quaker brand, I am not sure of what type of consistency we are talking about after they are soaked and then cooked.  So, if any of you soak and cook the "quick cooking" type, let me know how the texture turns out.  As for me, I will continue eating my thick cut rolled oats and once they are gone, I am switching to steel cut.  :-)  (Thank you Sarah!  :-) )

I only store my oats in the freezer, in a glass jar, if they are organic the have to go in the freezer for a few days, even if they are not organic, they will last even longer if they are stored in the freezer or refrigerator.

The night before you want to eat your oatmeal do the following.....
1.  Measure the amount of oats you want, place in a glass bowl with a lid.
2.  Fill a 1 cup measuring cup with clean water (filtered or R.O. if you can) and pour water over the oats in the glass bowl.  Keep track of how many cups of water you are pouring over the oats.
3.  For each cup of water you pour over the oats also place 2 tbsp of any kind of yogurt in the bowl with the oats. Stir well.
4.  Let sit overnight covered on counter top.  Do not place in refrigerator.  
5.  In the morning, place the oats in a strainer with small holes (small enough that your oats do not fall through the holes) and with your sink water sprayer, spray the crap out of your oats.  I usually do small batches, like 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, spray/rinse with water, place those in a stainless steel sauce pan, add more oats to the strainer spray/rinse with cool water, place in sauce pan, continuing until all oats have been sprayed with cool water.
6.  With all your sprayed oats in your stainless steel saucepan, pour milk (REAL milk or rice milk in our house) into the sauce pan and cook.  It will not take long at all, since the oats have soaked overnight, they are already "quick cooking oats" for you.  :-)
7.  Cook over medium heat until almost all of the milk is absorbed, stirring frequently.
8.  Place oats in a bowl, drizzle with organic honey or raw honey (heated in a small saucepan) until thin, pour a little more milk over the oats in your bowl and add any fresh fruit you would like.
9.  Voila!  You are done and getting ready to sink your teeth in to the best tasting oats you have ever eaten.
10.  And watch out, you might not even feel hungry for lunch, these oats stick to your ribs like nothing I have ever eaten.  Enjoy!

For the science part.  Oats are in rich in Vitamin B and calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.  Oats/grains have an outer coating called phytates and oats contain more phytates than almost any other grain.  This outer coating prevents our body from absorbing all the wonderful vitamins and nutrients that oats have in them.  If we ate a ton of unsoaked oats our bodies could suffer from mineral loss, allergies and irritation of the intestinal tract.  When we soak our oats in the yogurt and water mixture, the phytic acid (phytates) are broken down.  And our bodies are given the wonderful opportunity to absorb excellent vitamins and nutrients from our oats.  Secret:  When our bodies are lacking vitamins and nutrients, we crave foods, sometimes foods that are bad for us....imagine having a body that is happy....a body that is filled with healthy vitamins and nutrients....what would you feel like, what would your skin look like, what would your body look like??  This is a step towards a healthier you.  :-)

Rice, Quinoa and Couscous 
Your rice, quinoa and couscous need soaked too.  Except here we use organic apple cider vinegar (available at Meijer).


The outer coating on the rice, quinoa and couscous need to be broken down just like the oats.  This allows for better absorption of the nutrients and vitamins that are in the wonderful foods rice, quinoa and couscous.


The night before you want to eat your rice, quinoa or couscous do the following.....

1. Measure the amount of rice, quinoa or couscous you want, place in a glass bowl with a lid.
2. Fill a 1 cup measuring cup with clean water (filtered or R.O. if you can) and pour water over the rice, quinoa or couscous in the glass bowl. Keep track of how many cups of water you are pouring over the rice, quinoa or couscous.
3. For each cup of water you pour over the rice, quinoa or couscous also place 1 tbsp of organic apple cider vinegar in the bowl with the rice, quinoa or couscous. Stir well.
4. Let sit overnight covered on counter top. Do not place in refrigerator.
5. Before dinner (or whatever meal you want to eat this) place the rice, quinoa or couscous in a strainer with small holes (small enough that your rice, quinoa or couscous do not fall through the holes) and with your sink water sprayer, spray the crap out of your rice, quinoa or couscous.
6.  Cook as you like.  We love our stainless steel steamer.  It makes the best rice, quinoa and couscous.  Remember you will need to add a little less water, since the rice, quinoa or couscous was soaked in water overnight and has retained some water. 


Note:  Quinoa rocks!!  It is a grain with protein in it.  Even my picky family LOVES quinoa.  And Meijer sells it.  :-)

Beans

Your beans need soaked too. Except here we use organic apple cider vinegar (available at Meijer).  Plus, we all know the canned beans have bpa, so we need to try to cook with dried beans.



The outer coating on the beans need to be broken down just like the oats. This allows for better absorption of the nutrients and vitamins that are in the wonderful food of beans.

The night before you want to eat your beans, do the following.....
1. Measure the amount of beans you want, place in a glass bowl with a lid.

2. Fill a 1 cup measuring cup with clean water (filtered or R.O. if you can) and pour water over the beans in the glass bowl. Keep track of how many cups of water you are pouring over the beans.

3. For each cup of water you pour over the beans also place 1 tbsp of organic apple cider vinegar in the beans. Stir well.

4. Let sit overnight covered on counter top. Do not place in refrigerator.
5. Before dinner (or whatever meal you want to eat this) place the beans in a strainer with small holes (small enough that your beans do not fall through the holes) and with your sink water sprayer, spray the crap out of your beans.
6. Now you boil the heck out of your beans in clean water.  Can take up to 2 hours.  Follow directions on your package of dry beans or check out my other blog post about cooking beans.



Happy cooking!







Beans, Beans and more Beans

I thought I would post about beans.  I have decided to use dry beans whenever I can.  I admit I still have a few cans of beans in my pantry, just in case.  But I really DO NOT want to use them because they are in a can.  See my blog post on BPA if you wonder what my deal is with cans...in a nutshell anything in cans is BAD!!!!!!  I wish this was not true....but alas it is what it is....BAD!!

(I have found a brand called Eden Organic, their cans are bpa free!  Yay!)
So, back to beans.  We are having friends over tonight, I am making a tortilla soup and need beans in my soup.  I am using black beans, kidney and pinto.  We are eating around 6:15pm so I am starting the process now at 11:00am.  So, here is what ya do.....

-Buy ORGANIC dry beans
-Store them in an airtight glass jar away from heat.  Try to use within 6 months.
-If you need 1-1.5 cups (8-12 oz) of beans in your recipe, use 1/2 cup (4 oz using liquid measuring cup) of dried beans.  They swell...ALOT!  LOL
-Sort:  Sort and rinse your beans.  Remove any bean that appears shriveled.  Rinse well in cold water.
-Soak:  Soak beans over night covered in water and apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp organic apple cide vinegar to 1 cup of water, so that water covers beans).  Cover bowl with lid and place on countertop over night.
-Cooking:  Put your beans in a cooking pan (no t-fal if possible, stainless steel is the way to go.  My mom found me a very nice set at Goodwill), cover the beans with 1 inch of clean cool water.  Bring to a boil.  (Use 3-4 cups of water for each cup of dry beans).  DO NOT ADD SALT or any acidic flavoring yet.  Only do your major seasoning 30-45 minutes before beans are due to be done.  Spicing too early can cause the flavors to break down.  You can cook from the start with the basic spices:  chopped onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, cumin, epazote or kombu.
-Cooking Times:
Black eyed peas 1-1.25 hours at boiling.
Chickpeas 3 hours at boiling.
Great Northern 2 hours at boiling.
Green Lentils 45 minutes at boiling. (do not presoak)
Lima (baby) 1.5 hours at boiling.
Navy 2.5 hours at boiling.
Pinto 2.5 hours at boiling.
Red Kidney 1.5 hours at boiling.
Soy 3 hours at boiling.     

There are a few more beans I did not list here.  Email me if I did not list the bean you are looking for.  kboughman@sbcglobal.net

Happy cooking and ENJOY cooking healthy for you and your family!!!!