Edible Adventures Update

Carrisa

Initially this blog was inspired by my daughter Carrisa and the powerful decision she made to change her health destiny through dietary change. I wanted to record and commemorate our journey together and the time we spent in the kitchen, garden, and farmer's markets during the summer of 2010.  During that memorable summer we posted photos of some of our favorite kitchen adventures and included many recipes.  Edible Adventures became a scrapbook of our summer fun together.

Now that Carrisa is away at school our kitchen collaboration is not as easy and takes place long distance.  Those frenzied summer months that we spent in the kitchen together have given way to recipes shared over the telephone or e-mailed to each other.

We are both dedicated to seeking out the very best food that we can, favoring what is locally available and in season, and preparing our food with loving attention.

Carrisa continues to cook up delicious whole food meals for herself while maintaining a busy work and school schedule.  She tells me that she does a lot of her cooking on the weekend.

I continue to shop at farmer's markets and spend enormous amounts of time in the kitchen.   I am currently perfecting and refining recipes that will eventually go into a cookbook.  Because I am a cook that does not always follow a recipe and often feels inclined to create the "dish of the moment" I am learning to discipline myself and take more careful measurements of the food that I cook.

Carrisa's Shortbread

THE STORY OF SHORTBREAD

The origin of shortbread dates back to Scotland in medieval times.  Traditionally, shortbread was baked in a large round and served cut into triangles or wedges.

The traditional shortbread recipe is one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour.  The flour that was used to make traditional shortbread was fine oatmeal which is a staple food in Scotland.  Today the commercial versions of shortbread contain wheat flour or even corn and rice flour.

CARRISA'S TRADITIONAL SHORTBREAD

2 scant cups of fine oat flour
1/4 c. butter, cool, but not refrigerated
1/4 c.  sugar
Optional:  rose water for the butter's final rinse

Mix the flour and sugar on a work surface, then dot with pieces of cool butter.  With your fingertips, incorporate the mixture until it resembles bread crumbs.  Then using the palm of your hand, spread out the dough, forcing the flour to bind with the dough.  Gather and repeat three to four times, until you can form a ball of dough.  If the dough remains unworkable and crumbly, sprinkle with 1 - 2 t. of water, and knead again.  Shape into a ball and let rest for 30 minutes in a cool place (think of an unheated Scottish farmhouse.) 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  On a floured surface, flatten the dough into a disk about a finger thick, and mark off 8 wedges with the tines of a fork pressed clear through the dough.  You can also add decorations with your fork, if you like.  Bake on an un-greased cookie sheet for an hour.  The shortbread should not brown.  When done, remove from oven, cool on a wire rack, break into wedges, and serve with tea.

Lacto-fermented Sauerkraut

 Homemade Sauerkraut

I have been experimenting with making homemade sauerkraut for about seven years now, often with less than satisfactory results.  After years of cycling between the convenience of buying expensive jars of sauerkraut at the market and the frustration of trying to save money and make my own I finally found a recipe that hits the mark.

I discovered the recipe in Sally Fallon's wonderful cookbook "Nourishing Traditions."  I was so thrilled with the results of my first jar of sauerkraut that I now prefer homemade sauerkraut to my former favorite store bought variety.  Every time I see a 14-oz jar of sauerkraut selling for for $9.00 to $14.00 I am glad I know how to make my own.

SAUERKRAUT RECIPE - makes 1 quart

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded

1 T. caraway seed

1 T. sea salt

4 T. whey

In a bowl, mix cabbage with caraway seeds, sea salt and whey.   Pound with a wooden pounder for about 10 minutes to release juices.  Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth Mason jar and press down firmly with the pounder until the juices come to the top of the cabbage.  The top of the cabbage should be submerged at least 1-inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days.  Transfer jars to cold storage or the refrigerator.  Flavor improves with age.

Carrisa One Year Later

June 2011

Hi Everybody.  Here is a a picture of Carrisa and I on a recent visit - one year later.  Carrisa has been eating whole unprocessed foods for one year.  She has been following the principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation as explained by Sally Fallon in her book "Nourishing Traditions" for one year.  Carrisa shops local, buys organic, and cooks her own food while she works and goes to college.  Cooking her own food is not always an easy or convenient thing to do - but it certainly is worth the extra effort.   Carrisa has lost 50 pounds and has not deprived herself or dieted for one day.

Carrisa is a success story and I am very proud of her.

Blueberry Superfood Smoothie

Lately I have been making a superfood smoothie in the morning for breakfast.

LISA'S SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIE

1 c. raw milk kefir
1/2 c. filtered water
1/2 c. wild blueberries frozen
1 egg yolk
2 scoops of your favorite green powder
1 t. maca
1 small sliver of fresh ginger
stevia to taste

I put all of the ingredients in my Vita-Mix and blend until smooth.  It tastes super good.

Carrisa's Chunky Veggie Pasta Sauce

Carrisa's Chunky Veggie Pasta

This recipe and photo just arrived from Carrisa in Salt Lake City.  The recipe is loaded with tomatoes.  So all of you tomato lovers out there - go for it!   Those of you that are looking for a vegetarian pasta dish can omit the ground beef.  Thank you Carrisa for sharing this yummy recipe with us!

CARRISA'S CHUNKY VEGGIE PASTA

2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 lb ground beef -optional
2-4 c. water (just to cover)
1 large 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, cut into chunks (add juice)
1 small 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 red bell pepper, diced really small
2 carrots cut into quarters and sliced
3 small zucchini cut into quarters and sliced
dash of crushed red pepper
sea salt and pepper to taste

In a ceramic cast iron pan saute onion and garlic in butter and olive oil over a medium heat.  Add 1 lb. of ground beef and continue cooking until the meat is done.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots and zucchini are tender.

Carrisa serves her chunky veggie sauce over brown rice pasta.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Beef Stew

On a blustery spring day what could be better than a slow-cooked beef stew simmering in the crock pot.

CROCK POT BEEF STEW

Bacon fat or lard
Arrowroot powder
Sea salt
3 lbs. grass-fed stew meat
1 onion sliced
2 c. Tomato Sauce or Mock Tomato Sauce
a splash of organic red wine
Freshly snipped thyme
8 carrots cut into chunks
1 rutabaga cut into cubes

Bacon fat is nice for browning chunks of beef.  It doesn't smoke, it doesn't scorch, and it remains stable at high temperatures.

Put arrowroot powder with a bit of sea salt in a zip lock bag and coat beef chunks.  Place beef chunks, a few at a time, in the pan of hot bacon fat and sear the meat.  Searing the meat helps keep it moist and juicy.

Put the browned meat, sliced onion and tomato sauce in a large crock pot with about 1- 2 c.  water or stock.  (The amount of liquid depends on how thick you want the stew to be) Deglaze the pan with a splash or two of red wine and scrape into the crock pot.  Add fresh snipped thyme or dried thyme.  Set the crock pot on a low setting and let the it cook for 2 - 3 hours.

After it has simmered for 2 - 3 hours add carrot and rutabaga chunks and simmer for 1 to 2 more hours.

NOTE ON TOMATOES

While I eschew tomatoes of all kinds out of season, (I think Styrofoam might taste better), I do enjoy fresh tomatoes when they are in season, especially homegrown heirloom varieties.  Those who are sensitive to tomato sauce, like I am, will want to keep a few jars of mock tomato sauce handy.  Mock tomato sauce is a velvety blend of winter squash, onion, carrot, celery, and beet root.  Mock tomato sauce makes an excellent substitute for tomato sauce and I use it in a variety of soups, stews, enchiladas, and pasta dishes.  I particularly like it in lentil soup.  One of these days I should get around to posting how to make mock tomato sauce.