Royal Wedding Sweets

Buttermilk Scones with Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam

Carrisa phoned to give me a heads up on her Royal Wedding plans.  She made delicious looking buttermilk scones, homemade clotted cream and strawberry jam.  She served these with a delicious brunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a fresh organic fruit salad.

The recipe Carrisa used today is an adaptation of buttermilk biscuits from Sally Fallon's cookbook "Nourishing Traditions."  In case you are wondering Carrisa and I sprout or sour our grains to neutralize enzyme-inhibitors and anti-nutrient factors.  The soured and sprouted grains makes the nutrients in the grain more bio-available and it is because allergies and sensitivities to grains are becoming increasingly widespread.  People who are sensitive to grains often tolerate them better when they have been soaked, sprouted or fermented.  Grains prepared this way are beneficial for everybody - whether you think you are sensitive to grains or not - because they are easier to digest and more nutritious.

Buttermilk Scones

3 1/2 c. freshly ground spelt, kamut or whole wheat flour
1 c. buttermilk
4 T. melted butter
2 T. rapadura sugar
1 1/2 t. sea salt
2 t. baking soda
unbleached white flour

Mix the flour with buttermilk to form a thick dough.  Cover and leave in a warm place for 12 - 24 hours. Carrisa started her dough yesterday.  Place the dough in a food processor and process for several minutes to knead it.  Blend in the remaining ingredients.  Remove the dough and place on a well-floured pastry cloth or board and sprinkle with unbleached white flour to prevent any sticking.  Cut into biscuits with a glass and place on a buttered baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Carrisa said that she found that 25 minutes was more like it.  So be sure to check frequently so that you don't over bake them.

Devonshire Cream (Clotted Cream)

Makes about 1 1/2 c.

5 - 6 oz. organic cream cheese
1 c. whipping cream
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 T. sweetener
zest of lemon

If using cream cheese make certain it is room temperature.  Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat until the mixture holds its shape and looks like softly whipped cream.  Use right away or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

How To Make Delicious Raw Pecan Butter

Homemade Pecan Butter

When I visited Carrisa last October she gave me a spoonful of her homemade peanut butter.  I could not believe how rich and delicious it was!  It tastes so much better than commercial brands that I have been making homemade nut butter ever since.

Pecan butter is my current favorite.  I slather it on sourdough buckwheat pancakes, toasted sourdough bread, apple slices, and celery.  I also use pecan butter to make a healthy energy snack called "Earth Balls."

My recipe for pecan butter is inspired by a recipe found in Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions."  

RECIPE FOR PECAN BUTTER

2 c. crispy nuts (recipe to follow)
3/4 c. coconut oil
1 T. raw honey
1 t. sea salt

Place nuts and sea salt in a food processor and grind into a fine powder.  Then add the coconut oil and the honey and process until the nut butter becomes smooth.  It will be in a liquid like state but it will harden up when it is chilled in the refrigerator.  Pour the nut butter liquid into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.

Almonds, peanuts, and cashews make good nut butter.

CRISPY NUTS

4 c. pecans or almonds or cashews or peanuts
2 t. sea salt (1 T. for almonds, cashews, or peanuts)
filtered water

Mix pecans, salt, and water in a large glass bowl and let sit in a warm place for 7 - 12 hours.  Drain in a colander.  Dehydrate for about 24 hours or until completely dry and crisp.  Store in an airtight container.

For those that do not have a dehydrator you can spread the pecans on a baking sheet and place in a warm oven at no more than 150 degrees for 12 - 24 hours.  If you use the oven remember to turn the nuts occasionally.

Beet Kvass - Spring Tonic

Jar Of Beet Kvass

While the rain comes down outside I will be in the kitchen making beet kvass.  Beet kvass is a healthful probiotic beverage made with whey. Check out the luscious vibrant color. Beet kvass strengthens the digestion when 4-oz. are taken in the morning and in the evening.  In addition, Beet kvass alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver, and is a good treatment for kidney stones.

Can lacto-fermented beet kvass offer protection from the effects of radiation?

Dr. Thomas Cowan who wrote "The Fourfold Path To Healing" has this to say about foods that protect us from radiation.

"Special foods that have been shown to counteract radiation sickness include naturally fermented miso, beets, kombucha and sea vegetables, such as kombu." 

My recipe for beet kvass comes from Sally Fallon's cookbook "Nourishing Traditions."

RECIPE FOR BEET KVASS

3 medium beets, peeled and chopped into cubes
1/4 c. whey
1 T. celtic salt
filtered water

Sterilize a 2-quart glass jar with boiling water.  Boil the lid too.  Place beets, whey and salt in the glass jar.  Add filtered water to fill the container.  Stir it well with a chop stick.  Cover securely.  Keep it at room temperature on the kitchen counter for 2 days before transferring to the refrigerator.

When most of the liquid has been drunk, you may re-fill the glass jar with water and keep at room temperature for another 2 days.  The second brew will be slightly less strong than the first.  After the second brew, discard the beets and start again with a fresh batch.

Winter Root - Cold Weather Soup

Winter Root Soup

I have had my eye on this recipe from Sally Fallon's cookbook "Nourishing Traditions" and have wanted to make it for quite some time. Guess what?  Carrisa beat me to it. She phoned this morning to tell me how delicious it is.  Carrisa took soup to Charlotte, who is convalescing from surgery, and Charlotte likes it too.

RECIPE FOR WINTER ROOT SOUP

3 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, washed, trimmed and sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 turnips, peeled and sliced
1 rutabaga, peeled and sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
4 T. butter
1 1/2 qt. chicken stock
several sprigs of thyme tied together
4 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch nutmeg
sea salt to taste
sour cream or creme fraiche

Melt butter in large pot and add onions, leeks, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, and parsnips.  Cover and cook gently about 1/2 hour over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Add stock, bring to a boil and skim.  Add garlic, thyme, and cayenne.  Simmer, covered, for about 1/2 hour until veggies are soft.

Remove thyme and puree soup.  Season to taste.  If soup is too thick, thin it with water.  Serve with a spoonful of cultured cream.

Whole Foods Diet - Before and After

Before - May 2010

After - January 2011

I am an advocate of the Weston A. Price Foundation and its dietary guidelines.  I put the diet to the test this summer.  My daughter Carrisa, who wanted to learn how to prepare healthier food, came to stay with me during her break from college.  We had a glorious summer together.  It was like being in a cooking school every day.  We hiked together early in the morning.  We gardened and grew our own organic vegetables, we shopped at local farmer's markets, and we cooked THE MOST AMAZING FOOD.  We made it a point to never deprive ourselves, in the dietary sense of the word, and made delicious, nutrient-dense food our daily fare.

Kudos To Carrisa

I have to give credit to Carrisa.  No matter how wonderful the WAPF dietary guidelines are, no matter how much cooking Mom was willing to do, it would not have made a difference if Carrisa had not been 100% committed to making a change.

Carrisa is back in school now and she has been amazingly consistent in choosing the highest quality nutrient-dense food that she can find. Carrisa does not compromise.  Even while she maintains a busy work and school schedule she still manages to find time to prepare her own meals. She is an inspiration to me and I believe that the good results that she has experienced speak for themselves.

You can check out the dietary guidelines for the Weston A. Price Foundation in my September 3, 2010 post.

Brett's Squash Soup

Brett's Favorite Squash Soup

2 T. olive oil
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, diced
3 parsnips, diced
1 small onion, sliced
6 c. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 t. coriander
2 T. rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Saute vegetables in oil for 5 minutes.  Add stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 - 25 minutes.  Add seasonings and vinegar and when sufficiently cool puree in small batches.

This soup is a winter favorite in our family.

Edible Flowers

Calendula begins to bloom in our garden in late winter.

Calendula

Some of my favorite edible flowers are anise hyssop, arugula, basil, borage, calendula, chive blossoms, dandelion, dill, johnny-jump-up, lavender, mint, nasturtium, pansy, pea, rose, rosemary, and thyme blossoms.  These flowers add beauty and flavor to spring and summer salads.

I grow all of these flowers in grow boxes and pots.  Some of the herbs are known as perennials and they become permanent garden residents.  Some of the flowers are called annuals - but they are often so hardy that they will  re-seed themselves.  When an annual plant re-seeds itself -  it is an indication that the plant particularly thrives in the location you have planted it.

I seldom plant my garden in neat and tidy rows.  So it is a joy for me to see plants re-seed themselves and return again.  They often spread themselves out and mingle together luxuriously creating beautiful and surprising tapestries of color.  I like surprises and I find these mixed beds much more pleasing than a contrived and organized garden bed.