6/17/13
Wow! These turned out really good. Most people think that I am a vegetarian, I'm not sure why.. I just come off that way. Same thing with people thinking I'm from California. I just don't get it. I grew up in Chicago and have always eaten whatever I want, including meat... when I want, not a lot. But anyways, yes, I eat eggs. Sometimes. Especially when I'm feeling protein deficient. I'm not a big fan of nuts, I do like soy but don't get enough of it to make up for what ends up being a looming protein deficiency just waiting to happen. It catches up with me (kind of like my iron deficiency) and then it hits hard.. and I.. MUST... HAVE... PROTEIN.. NOW.. in whatever form. Yes, its pretty ugly. But we are all a work in progress. One day I will have enough self control to make myself eat things on a regular basis so that I have a balanced diet. It's because I am a workaholic, and drink a lot of coffee... and then ... well, I'm working on it. So eggs. I served it with toasted sesame Ezekiel Bread, toasted with olive oil & a little bit of sea salt.
Eggs
Dill Weed (fresh or dry)
White Soy or Rice Cheese
Organic Half & Half (can substitute sour cream if you don't have it, or even cream cheese.. but whip it up good and only use a tablespoon)
White Onion
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
First dice as much white onion as you want in your scrambled eggs , and cube 1/2 cup of soy cheese.
Crack eggs and whip with a fork. Add a 2 tbsp of Half and Half (or sour cream or cream cheese). Whip into eggs. Add dill weed.
Pour olive oil into pan and sprinkle with sea salt, then bring to medium heat. Add white onion and saute until tender. Lower heat to med/low or low and then pour in eggs. You never want eggs to cook too quickly unless you are preparing them sunny side up. If you are scrambling them, cooking them too quickly, on too high of heat, or for too long, is what causes them to be rubbery...and we've all forced ourselves to swallow those once or twice in our lives.. lets not torture ourselves once again. So ... the key is, you let them cook SLOWLY.. and stir them with a spoon or spatula... to make sure they are cooking evenly,and not turning into an omlette/sponge. When the eggs are halfway cooked, add the soy cheese. You add them at this point so that they get soft and gooey, but don't melt into the eggs completely and become incognito, or worse, burn.
I usually take the pan off of the heat just before they look done (still a bit liquidy) and cover the pan with a lid. They sort of steam themselves the rest of the way and prevents them from being overcooked. As you can see, I have developed several strategies to avoid the overcooked/rubbery egg syndrome. Its of grave concern. No.. its just gross and painful to eat. So.. well, important.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Homemade Garlic Pesto Shrimp Pasta
I bought some shrimp yesterday to make something unique and different for my roomie, since I told him I usually keep it vegetarian in the house. This is something I do automatically. Its a pain in the butt to make meat, well, to do it well, and so it just makes things easier to leave that to the chefs whenever I go out to eat, and well, I keep it fresh and healthy in the house. But since I have been making food for the both of us, and he has put up with my 100% vegetarian food up until now, I thought I'd surprise him with a treat. So... I brought home some shrimp and slumped into a seriously annoyed frame of mind, and without getting into detail, I didn't make the nice dinner. I made something else, which turned out good, and thank god shrimp is okay in the fridge for a day without going bad. So, today was the shrimp day. Unfortunately, my roomie fell asleep so I enjoyed it alone. Which was fine. I needed some me time. This pasta dish really turned out to be one of the best things I've made since I've been living in this house. Too bad he missed out. But luckily there are plenty of leftovers. Yes, I'm excited as well. I'm excited to eat the rest of it. That's how good it is.
I used the Einkorn pasta again. This time I got the rotini. It's incredible how good it is considering it is flourless. It's not too sticky and after you eat, you don't feel like you ate a 20 pound mule. I somehow managed to boil the pasta last night in a somewhat half-asleep state, and put it in some tupperware to use today. So that was already there. Here is the list of ingredients:
Rotini Pasta. Einkorn & Ezekiel are my faves because they are made of grain and don't have flour, but use whatcha like.
Fresh Basil
Fresh Garlic
Olive Oil (or chili pepper infused olive oil, which is what I used, either is good)
Shrimp
Sea Salt
White wine (dry not sweet)
Cut the basil into very small pieces, or put in a blender, which is what I did and makes your life a lot easier. Use about 8-10 leaves of fresh basil.
Mince the garlic.
Pour olive oil into a saucepan, sprinkle a pinch of salt around the pan and saute the garlic on low heat until soft. My hint about sauteing garlic is to heat the olive oil on med/high to begin with, then when the oil is at that temperature, add the garlic and take it off the stove for a minute or so. Let the garlic simmer as the oil cools down. This is the method I use so that the garlic doesn't burn. If you see smoke/fumes coming from the oil or it is actually boiling, its too hot. Garlic is a tricky thing to get just right, and you have to be careful with it so it doesn't burn, or undercook (crunchy half-raw garlic is not the best in a pasta dish, or... just in general unless taken medicinally). After you take the pan off of the stove, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, put the pan back on the stove after a minute, and let the garlic simmer on low heat. When it is 3/4 done, add the basil. You don't want to overcook basil. Let them both simmer on low for a few minutes, while stirring. Pour in about 1/4 cup of wine. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then add the shrimp. Simmer on low heat while stirring, again make sure not to overcook. Once you see the shrimp curling up, its time to take it off the stove.
While I was close to finishing this, I dumped the pasta into a separate pot, and poured the chili infused olive oil into the pasta and sprinkled sea salt into it and stirred until the pasta was warm and the flavor of the oil had a few minutes to soak in the flavor of the oil. Then I poured the shrimp/olive oil/basil/garlic & wine mixture into the pasta and mixed it up.
This was fantabulous.
A few side notes:
Re: the pesto. Pesto can be made however you want it to be made. Well, thats my rule anyway. I make it how I like it, whatever it is. I didn't have parmesan cheese, and I try to keep the cheese to a minimum anyways, and I just absolutely cant stand pine nuts. So.. my version of pesto is sans those ingredients & that's how I like it.. although they did have a soy parmesan cheese that I used to use. I was told at whole foods that it was discontinued. Not sure if he meant whole foods doesnt carry it anymore, or the company just stopped making it. That would be a shame because the soy parmesan was amazing. If you see it, grab it if you are into dairy substitutes. It's the bomb.
Re: Chili Infused Olive Oil. If this sounds good to you, here's how to make it. Pour olive oil into a separate container (unless you want to use the whole bottle, which is what I do so that I have it on hand whenever I want it)... drop some chili flakes into it. Probably 1 tspn - 1 tbsp will do, depending on how hot you like it. And just let it soak. If you want to bring out the chili flavor more quickly, set it by a window where the sun will hit it. Or, if you want it ASAP, simmer some chili pepper in olive oil... that will infuse the chili flavor into it quickly. But keep it on low, you don't want the pepper flakes to burn. Unless you add an absolute TON of chili pepper flakes, the taste should be quite subtle, so don't sweat it about it being super spicy. You control how much you put in, and you know what you can handle, so just don't overdo it, you don't want to have to dump a large quantity of olive oil because you did a fire drill with the chili peppers. Use your best judgement.
I used the Einkorn pasta again. This time I got the rotini. It's incredible how good it is considering it is flourless. It's not too sticky and after you eat, you don't feel like you ate a 20 pound mule. I somehow managed to boil the pasta last night in a somewhat half-asleep state, and put it in some tupperware to use today. So that was already there. Here is the list of ingredients:
Rotini Pasta. Einkorn & Ezekiel are my faves because they are made of grain and don't have flour, but use whatcha like.
Fresh Basil
Fresh Garlic
Olive Oil (or chili pepper infused olive oil, which is what I used, either is good)
Shrimp
Sea Salt
White wine (dry not sweet)
Cut the basil into very small pieces, or put in a blender, which is what I did and makes your life a lot easier. Use about 8-10 leaves of fresh basil.
Mince the garlic.
Pour olive oil into a saucepan, sprinkle a pinch of salt around the pan and saute the garlic on low heat until soft. My hint about sauteing garlic is to heat the olive oil on med/high to begin with, then when the oil is at that temperature, add the garlic and take it off the stove for a minute or so. Let the garlic simmer as the oil cools down. This is the method I use so that the garlic doesn't burn. If you see smoke/fumes coming from the oil or it is actually boiling, its too hot. Garlic is a tricky thing to get just right, and you have to be careful with it so it doesn't burn, or undercook (crunchy half-raw garlic is not the best in a pasta dish, or... just in general unless taken medicinally). After you take the pan off of the stove, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, put the pan back on the stove after a minute, and let the garlic simmer on low heat. When it is 3/4 done, add the basil. You don't want to overcook basil. Let them both simmer on low for a few minutes, while stirring. Pour in about 1/4 cup of wine. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then add the shrimp. Simmer on low heat while stirring, again make sure not to overcook. Once you see the shrimp curling up, its time to take it off the stove.
While I was close to finishing this, I dumped the pasta into a separate pot, and poured the chili infused olive oil into the pasta and sprinkled sea salt into it and stirred until the pasta was warm and the flavor of the oil had a few minutes to soak in the flavor of the oil. Then I poured the shrimp/olive oil/basil/garlic & wine mixture into the pasta and mixed it up.
This was fantabulous.
A few side notes:
Re: the pesto. Pesto can be made however you want it to be made. Well, thats my rule anyway. I make it how I like it, whatever it is. I didn't have parmesan cheese, and I try to keep the cheese to a minimum anyways, and I just absolutely cant stand pine nuts. So.. my version of pesto is sans those ingredients & that's how I like it.. although they did have a soy parmesan cheese that I used to use. I was told at whole foods that it was discontinued. Not sure if he meant whole foods doesnt carry it anymore, or the company just stopped making it. That would be a shame because the soy parmesan was amazing. If you see it, grab it if you are into dairy substitutes. It's the bomb.
Re: Chili Infused Olive Oil. If this sounds good to you, here's how to make it. Pour olive oil into a separate container (unless you want to use the whole bottle, which is what I do so that I have it on hand whenever I want it)... drop some chili flakes into it. Probably 1 tspn - 1 tbsp will do, depending on how hot you like it. And just let it soak. If you want to bring out the chili flavor more quickly, set it by a window where the sun will hit it. Or, if you want it ASAP, simmer some chili pepper in olive oil... that will infuse the chili flavor into it quickly. But keep it on low, you don't want the pepper flakes to burn. Unless you add an absolute TON of chili pepper flakes, the taste should be quite subtle, so don't sweat it about it being super spicy. You control how much you put in, and you know what you can handle, so just don't overdo it, you don't want to have to dump a large quantity of olive oil because you did a fire drill with the chili peppers. Use your best judgement.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Ginger Chili Limeade
6/14/13
It gets hot here. Really, really really hot. So that means that I have to get creative about hydration. I made a gallon of a drink that not only quenches my thirst, but also is high in vitamin C and good for my circulaton. Basically, it tastes awesome, plus it keeps me from getting sick and keeps my blood flowing. This drink has quite a kick so if you can't handle spicy things then, well, obviously this drink is not for you. Sometimes I slice a jalapeno into thin pieces and drop one in this drink, and let it soak for a little bit, and it has a similar effect, well it adds the spicy kick (and kills any bacteria trying to invade your system too!)
Here goes:
Fresh Ginger Root
Fresh Lime
Chili Pepper Flakes
Agave Syrup
Cut ginger root into thin slices and throw into boiling water. Turn the heat down to a low simmer. Let it simmer for about 1/2 hour. Add as much or as little chili flakes as you think you can handle. 1/2 teaspoon should be more than enough for anyone (for those who like it hot). Other people, add less. It's meant to give it a healthy kick, not burn your tongue off. Let that simmer for about 5-10 minutes (5 for weaker, 10 for stronger chili infusion). Strain and pour into a heat resistant container. Stir in agave syrup to sweeten. Of course, you can substitute any other sweetener that you like. I just happen to love Agave Syrup to sweeten any and all drinks that I intend to drink cold. Honey, maple syrup, cane sugar are all good substitutes. Stevia works too. Let it cool down a bit, and put it in the fridge. When it is cold enough to drink, cut a lime into slices (or in half and put into a lime- squeezer, however you go about squeezing the juice from citrus, go ahead... just get the lime juice out of the lime and into the drink), stir and enjoy!
This drink has a lot of kick to it, so I would have to repeat, DO NOT TRY THIS DRINK IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE ANYTHING SPICY. Otherwise, this drink is the bomb. I drink it throughout the day and it keeps me energized, hydrated and healthy.
It gets hot here. Really, really really hot. So that means that I have to get creative about hydration. I made a gallon of a drink that not only quenches my thirst, but also is high in vitamin C and good for my circulaton. Basically, it tastes awesome, plus it keeps me from getting sick and keeps my blood flowing. This drink has quite a kick so if you can't handle spicy things then, well, obviously this drink is not for you. Sometimes I slice a jalapeno into thin pieces and drop one in this drink, and let it soak for a little bit, and it has a similar effect, well it adds the spicy kick (and kills any bacteria trying to invade your system too!)
Here goes:
Fresh Ginger Root
Fresh Lime
Chili Pepper Flakes
Agave Syrup
Cut ginger root into thin slices and throw into boiling water. Turn the heat down to a low simmer. Let it simmer for about 1/2 hour. Add as much or as little chili flakes as you think you can handle. 1/2 teaspoon should be more than enough for anyone (for those who like it hot). Other people, add less. It's meant to give it a healthy kick, not burn your tongue off. Let that simmer for about 5-10 minutes (5 for weaker, 10 for stronger chili infusion). Strain and pour into a heat resistant container. Stir in agave syrup to sweeten. Of course, you can substitute any other sweetener that you like. I just happen to love Agave Syrup to sweeten any and all drinks that I intend to drink cold. Honey, maple syrup, cane sugar are all good substitutes. Stevia works too. Let it cool down a bit, and put it in the fridge. When it is cold enough to drink, cut a lime into slices (or in half and put into a lime- squeezer, however you go about squeezing the juice from citrus, go ahead... just get the lime juice out of the lime and into the drink), stir and enjoy!
This drink has a lot of kick to it, so I would have to repeat, DO NOT TRY THIS DRINK IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE ANYTHING SPICY. Otherwise, this drink is the bomb. I drink it throughout the day and it keeps me energized, hydrated and healthy.
Cucumber Dill Salad & Einkorn Pasta with Basil & Veggies
6/13/13
The other day we had gone looking for ezekiel pasta only to find they did not carry it at the whole foods that we went to. I assumed it would be at the other whole foods in town, which has a much bigger selection, and is not the store that was once a Wild Oats & had been bought out & converted. The first time, we just bit it & bought something similar, a pasta called "jovial" 100% organic einkorn whole wheat pasta. I looked at the ingredients and there was no flour, so although it didn't say that it was "sprouted wheat", it was the next best thing. Otherwise, i would be using rice noodles. Anything to stay away from flour. But rice noodles are not as versatile, they don't taste too good with any sort of Mediterranean seasonings... they just don't, you can't force it. So I was happy to find a substitute for Ezekiel in the Jovial, and to be honest, I think it tastes a little better, not as sticky/gooey as Ezekiel (but I would and could, never knock anything Ezekiel, they are my faves all over). So we bought it, I made some pasta last week and to my surprise, my roomie liked it. He is so incredibly versatile, it seems he might like almost anything I make, which means either that I am a relatively good cook compared to whatever he's used to, or he's a very good liar. But I think maybe he's just easy to please. A lot of people would be sqeamish about anything other than good old flour-based pasta. It just tastes like pasta, and that's what people are used to. But roomie's good with the substitutes, which makes him a great person for me to cook for. Basically, we like the same stuff. I also think he's just glad to have someone around to make food in the house. A bachelor's life is not easy when it comes to mealtime for many. A woman in the kitchen who whips up some dinner, as long as it's somewhat tasty, is quite a nice respite for many, especially those who are used to it.. like my friend who has been married twice. It's hard to get used to making your own food after being in those kinds of domestic situations. Especially the older you are..and those gender roles in full force... so there you have it. At least he knows how to run the washing machine. The dishwasher.. well he did have a question or two..
Anyways, so back to the pasta. I was tired today. I wasn't feeling like doing much of anything and so I wasted time until about 11 p.m. when I finally decided to get into the kitchen and make something. Yes, this is crazy. But it just happened that way. When roomie got home, I was not in a good mood. He smartly decided not to push it about dinner, and just said, when you feel like making food, go ahead and make it.. don't worry about me. Well, I took his words to heart, and headed to the kitchen close to midnight to make up for it. Crazily enough (it was just one of those days), he was down. I poured some vanilla vodka on the rocks, he poured some whisky for himself and I got to work. I had some leftover Einkorn. I decided to take the pre-packaged "stir-fry" vegetable mix of brocolli, cauliflower and carrots and cut them into smaller pieces, diced some white onion and minced two garlic cloves and threw it in a pot of boiling water. I boiled it all lightly, I simply didn't have the energy to saute them, strained them, threw them in the pasta, added a really great olive oil I invested in to use only for dressings and things that deserve an awesome olive oil taste, tore 4 or 5 leaves of fresh basil into smaller pieces and threw them into the mix, and added a bit of sea salt. The pasta was cold and the veggies were hot, so the whole thing ended up a horrible luke-warm. I could have refrigerated it, and it would have made a GREAT cold pasta salad, but since I wanted to deliver the food to a starved roommate at a ridiculous hour, I threw it all back in the pan, and put it on low heat. This actually worked out great, because the basil and garlic flavors really spread throughout the dish much better with the help of a little heat, and the pasta came out great.
While the veggies were boiling, I decided to make a cucumber dill salad that I had been thinking about since yesterday. I took out this great organic cucumber we got at whole foods a few days back, diced it into cubes, diced some white onion, threw them together, added the yummy olive oil, sprinkled dill over it, and sprinkled a bit of sea salt. Simple recipe, but awesome salad. Super cooling to the system and refreshing, a PERFECT salad for a really hot day, I was pretty psyched. I needed the cooling, hydrating effect of the cucumber and the pungent, spicy effect of the onion, and the soothing dill. Roomie loved the salad, and said it reminded him a bit of something his father used to make, except it was pickled. Glad to bring flavors to his palate that make him reminisce. And speaking of pickled... I am on day one of making kimchi. I'll have to write about that tomorrow. (I know, I'm a little bit behind).
The other day we had gone looking for ezekiel pasta only to find they did not carry it at the whole foods that we went to. I assumed it would be at the other whole foods in town, which has a much bigger selection, and is not the store that was once a Wild Oats & had been bought out & converted. The first time, we just bit it & bought something similar, a pasta called "jovial" 100% organic einkorn whole wheat pasta. I looked at the ingredients and there was no flour, so although it didn't say that it was "sprouted wheat", it was the next best thing. Otherwise, i would be using rice noodles. Anything to stay away from flour. But rice noodles are not as versatile, they don't taste too good with any sort of Mediterranean seasonings... they just don't, you can't force it. So I was happy to find a substitute for Ezekiel in the Jovial, and to be honest, I think it tastes a little better, not as sticky/gooey as Ezekiel (but I would and could, never knock anything Ezekiel, they are my faves all over). So we bought it, I made some pasta last week and to my surprise, my roomie liked it. He is so incredibly versatile, it seems he might like almost anything I make, which means either that I am a relatively good cook compared to whatever he's used to, or he's a very good liar. But I think maybe he's just easy to please. A lot of people would be sqeamish about anything other than good old flour-based pasta. It just tastes like pasta, and that's what people are used to. But roomie's good with the substitutes, which makes him a great person for me to cook for. Basically, we like the same stuff. I also think he's just glad to have someone around to make food in the house. A bachelor's life is not easy when it comes to mealtime for many. A woman in the kitchen who whips up some dinner, as long as it's somewhat tasty, is quite a nice respite for many, especially those who are used to it.. like my friend who has been married twice. It's hard to get used to making your own food after being in those kinds of domestic situations. Especially the older you are..and those gender roles in full force... so there you have it. At least he knows how to run the washing machine. The dishwasher.. well he did have a question or two..
Anyways, so back to the pasta. I was tired today. I wasn't feeling like doing much of anything and so I wasted time until about 11 p.m. when I finally decided to get into the kitchen and make something. Yes, this is crazy. But it just happened that way. When roomie got home, I was not in a good mood. He smartly decided not to push it about dinner, and just said, when you feel like making food, go ahead and make it.. don't worry about me. Well, I took his words to heart, and headed to the kitchen close to midnight to make up for it. Crazily enough (it was just one of those days), he was down. I poured some vanilla vodka on the rocks, he poured some whisky for himself and I got to work. I had some leftover Einkorn. I decided to take the pre-packaged "stir-fry" vegetable mix of brocolli, cauliflower and carrots and cut them into smaller pieces, diced some white onion and minced two garlic cloves and threw it in a pot of boiling water. I boiled it all lightly, I simply didn't have the energy to saute them, strained them, threw them in the pasta, added a really great olive oil I invested in to use only for dressings and things that deserve an awesome olive oil taste, tore 4 or 5 leaves of fresh basil into smaller pieces and threw them into the mix, and added a bit of sea salt. The pasta was cold and the veggies were hot, so the whole thing ended up a horrible luke-warm. I could have refrigerated it, and it would have made a GREAT cold pasta salad, but since I wanted to deliver the food to a starved roommate at a ridiculous hour, I threw it all back in the pan, and put it on low heat. This actually worked out great, because the basil and garlic flavors really spread throughout the dish much better with the help of a little heat, and the pasta came out great.
While the veggies were boiling, I decided to make a cucumber dill salad that I had been thinking about since yesterday. I took out this great organic cucumber we got at whole foods a few days back, diced it into cubes, diced some white onion, threw them together, added the yummy olive oil, sprinkled dill over it, and sprinkled a bit of sea salt. Simple recipe, but awesome salad. Super cooling to the system and refreshing, a PERFECT salad for a really hot day, I was pretty psyched. I needed the cooling, hydrating effect of the cucumber and the pungent, spicy effect of the onion, and the soothing dill. Roomie loved the salad, and said it reminded him a bit of something his father used to make, except it was pickled. Glad to bring flavors to his palate that make him reminisce. And speaking of pickled... I am on day one of making kimchi. I'll have to write about that tomorrow. (I know, I'm a little bit behind).
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Infusing Flax, Chia & Hemp Seeds in Olive oil for Salad Dressing
June 11, 2013
Buying flax seed oil is expensive, let's face it. And you have to keep it refrigerated, so if you are travelling, you can't bring it with you. Also, it doesn't taste that great in any sort of dresssing, or to combine with food. Really, the best and if you are considering taste, only way to take it is in a teaspoon or tablespoon, with a chaser that will kill the aftertaste, kind of like taking tequilla with lime. So, I went looking for an alternative. I decided to infuse the chia, flax and hemp seeds in olive oil, to see if I could get the restorative & regenerative properties from the seeds into an oil that I can use to flavor foods, such as in a homemade salad dressing. You can make a whole lot more of this on your own than you can buy in the store, and you can make it where and when you want, in the amounts you need at the time, with or without refrigeration.
My favorite oil to use for salad dressing is Olive Oil, and it is great for infusing flavors and herbs. So, take 1/2 cup of olive oil, add 3 tbsp of ground flax seed, 1 tbsp of chia seed and combine in a glass jar or bottle. Heat water in crock pot to somewhere between 100 - 130 degrees and let the oil in the glass jar or bottle sit in the hot water for 3-5 hours. I add the hemp seeds last since they are much softer and do not require anywhere near as much time for its properties to infuse in the oil.
Next Step: Remove from heat, add hemp seeds and return to heat for another hour.
Next Step: Remove from heat, strain oil through cheesecloth or strainer and return to glass jar or bottle, wait for it to cool & then use!
Buying flax seed oil is expensive, let's face it. And you have to keep it refrigerated, so if you are travelling, you can't bring it with you. Also, it doesn't taste that great in any sort of dresssing, or to combine with food. Really, the best and if you are considering taste, only way to take it is in a teaspoon or tablespoon, with a chaser that will kill the aftertaste, kind of like taking tequilla with lime. So, I went looking for an alternative. I decided to infuse the chia, flax and hemp seeds in olive oil, to see if I could get the restorative & regenerative properties from the seeds into an oil that I can use to flavor foods, such as in a homemade salad dressing. You can make a whole lot more of this on your own than you can buy in the store, and you can make it where and when you want, in the amounts you need at the time, with or without refrigeration.
My favorite oil to use for salad dressing is Olive Oil, and it is great for infusing flavors and herbs. So, take 1/2 cup of olive oil, add 3 tbsp of ground flax seed, 1 tbsp of chia seed and combine in a glass jar or bottle. Heat water in crock pot to somewhere between 100 - 130 degrees and let the oil in the glass jar or bottle sit in the hot water for 3-5 hours. I add the hemp seeds last since they are much softer and do not require anywhere near as much time for its properties to infuse in the oil.
Next Step: Remove from heat, add hemp seeds and return to heat for another hour.
Next Step: Remove from heat, strain oil through cheesecloth or strainer and return to glass jar or bottle, wait for it to cool & then use!
Quinoa, Cucumber, Onion & Hummus Salad, Yummy!
So lunchtime came & went and now I'm finally taking a much needed break from my herbal salves. I've got sesame ezekiel bread in the stove (because I haven't set up the toaster oven yet), smothered in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. This is going to go along with the guacamole I finally finished today and the quinoa salad I just whipped together. That came out awesome!! I managed to use the avocados before they overripened and spoiled and found a use for the quinoa that was sitting in the fridge begging to be used. I'll go over the guacamole recipe on another page, but right now, I'm going to talk about the quinoa salad:
Ingredients:
Red Quinoa
Red Onion
Cucumber
Hummus
Dried black Calamata Olives
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Make 1 cup of red quinoa (doesn't have to be red, that's just the kind we had)
Slice1 large or 2 small cucumbers into small cubes
Dice 2 or 3 tablespoons of red onions
Pit the dried Calamata olives, dice and throw in bowl
Add Onion, Cucumber, 4 tblsp olive oil, and a few dashes of sea salt. Next add Quinoa & toss. Finally add the hummus (of your choice, not teaching how to make hummus this moment). Stir together and serve!
*A nice variation if you prefer would be to add parsley to this dish. That's if you like, and have parsley!
Ingredients:
Red Quinoa
Red Onion
Cucumber
Hummus
Dried black Calamata Olives
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Make 1 cup of red quinoa (doesn't have to be red, that's just the kind we had)
Slice1 large or 2 small cucumbers into small cubes
Dice 2 or 3 tablespoons of red onions
Pit the dried Calamata olives, dice and throw in bowl
Add Onion, Cucumber, 4 tblsp olive oil, and a few dashes of sea salt. Next add Quinoa & toss. Finally add the hummus (of your choice, not teaching how to make hummus this moment). Stir together and serve!
*A nice variation if you prefer would be to add parsley to this dish. That's if you like, and have parsley!
Homemade Guacamole
June 11, 2013
My roommate came home from the supermarket with a lone avocado, enthusiastically telling me that now we can make guacamole. I was sad to inform him that one avocado, despite the costliness of it, will not make a whole lot. So he went back to the store, got 2 more, plus red onion and tomatos, and I had jalapenos, olive oil, lime & sea salt. Those avocados have been staring at me for two days, while they ripen below the window in half sunlight, saying "do something before we get overripe and brown and you can no longer make use of us". Oh man, it's time to make the guac.
Last night I came home, tired from a long day in the searing heat running errands and was exhausted enough just to make myself a salad, and only cut up the onions and tomato for the guacamole. I didn't make it any further than that. So I put the onions & tomato in the fridge, and today I am obliged to finish it off, and make it ready for when he gets home, so that he can indulge in the fantasy of guacamole once and for all. We also bought a huge container of sea salt to make kimchi, which will be another recipe that will come about in the future, but for now, it will be perfect for flavoring the guacamole, whose flavors become richer and come together at the addition of the perfect amount of sea salt.
Ingredients:
3 avocados
3 tblsp chopped red onion
1 teaspoon of diced jalapeno
1/4 cup of chopped tomato
1 lime
pinch of sea salt
Combine onion, tomato and jalapeno (use as much or as little jalapeno as your tastebuds can stand), and mix together with a spoon. Add a pinch of sea salt and squeeze the juice of a fresh lime into the mixture. Then scoop out the insides of the avocados and gently mash them into the onion, jalapeno and red onion preparation. Stir until the consistency is equal throughout the guacamole, add more salt to taste if necessary and serve!
*Some people like to add oil to the guacamole, if you are one of those people, I would recommend adding 2 tsp olive oil to the mixture.
My roommate came home from the supermarket with a lone avocado, enthusiastically telling me that now we can make guacamole. I was sad to inform him that one avocado, despite the costliness of it, will not make a whole lot. So he went back to the store, got 2 more, plus red onion and tomatos, and I had jalapenos, olive oil, lime & sea salt. Those avocados have been staring at me for two days, while they ripen below the window in half sunlight, saying "do something before we get overripe and brown and you can no longer make use of us". Oh man, it's time to make the guac.
Last night I came home, tired from a long day in the searing heat running errands and was exhausted enough just to make myself a salad, and only cut up the onions and tomato for the guacamole. I didn't make it any further than that. So I put the onions & tomato in the fridge, and today I am obliged to finish it off, and make it ready for when he gets home, so that he can indulge in the fantasy of guacamole once and for all. We also bought a huge container of sea salt to make kimchi, which will be another recipe that will come about in the future, but for now, it will be perfect for flavoring the guacamole, whose flavors become richer and come together at the addition of the perfect amount of sea salt.
Ingredients:
3 avocados
3 tblsp chopped red onion
1 teaspoon of diced jalapeno
1/4 cup of chopped tomato
1 lime
pinch of sea salt
Combine onion, tomato and jalapeno (use as much or as little jalapeno as your tastebuds can stand), and mix together with a spoon. Add a pinch of sea salt and squeeze the juice of a fresh lime into the mixture. Then scoop out the insides of the avocados and gently mash them into the onion, jalapeno and red onion preparation. Stir until the consistency is equal throughout the guacamole, add more salt to taste if necessary and serve!
*Some people like to add oil to the guacamole, if you are one of those people, I would recommend adding 2 tsp olive oil to the mixture.
Kale, Collard Green, Spinach, Turnip, Mustard Greens & Bok Choy Sautee with Garlic & Chili Infused Olive Oil
Hmmm... that's a mouthful... of greens! How to make these leafy treats taste good to the average consumer. That's a challenge! I have several recipes for each and all of these, but tonight, I am going to do a saute of all of these greens with garlic in olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt.
Ingredients:
Kale
Collard Greens
Spinach
Turnip
Mustard Greens
Bok Choy
Fresh Garlic
Olive Oil (or chili pepper infused olive oil, see below)
Sea Salt
Pour olive oil into saucepan, sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt around the pan into the olive oil, set to medium. Cut garlic into small pieces and put into hot oil, turn the heat down to low. Saute the garlic until soft and then remove from pan (now you have garlic infused olive oil). Set garlic aside for later use. Put the greens into the pan and let them slowly saute. If needed add more olive oil. I had some olive oil that I had infused with red chili peppers, and added that to add flavor and kick.
If you want to do this variation of the olive oil, just set aside some olive oil in a glass bowl or jar and add some chili pepper flakes, set in the sun preferably for a few hours and strain through a cheesecloth or strainer if the mesh is tight enough to strain them out and add to the greens while simmering. Be careful not to add too much oil. Saute greens until soft and add garlic back into the pan. Toss the garlic and greens so that they mix, and remove it from the heat. Add more salt to taste if necessary.
*To make the chili pepper infused olive oil, it is helpful but not necessary to set it in the sun (the heat assists the volatile oils in the peppers to diffuse into the olive oil). The oil will still absorb the flavor in the shade.
Ingredients:
Kale
Collard Greens
Spinach
Turnip
Mustard Greens
Bok Choy
Fresh Garlic
Olive Oil (or chili pepper infused olive oil, see below)
Sea Salt
Pour olive oil into saucepan, sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt around the pan into the olive oil, set to medium. Cut garlic into small pieces and put into hot oil, turn the heat down to low. Saute the garlic until soft and then remove from pan (now you have garlic infused olive oil). Set garlic aside for later use. Put the greens into the pan and let them slowly saute. If needed add more olive oil. I had some olive oil that I had infused with red chili peppers, and added that to add flavor and kick.
If you want to do this variation of the olive oil, just set aside some olive oil in a glass bowl or jar and add some chili pepper flakes, set in the sun preferably for a few hours and strain through a cheesecloth or strainer if the mesh is tight enough to strain them out and add to the greens while simmering. Be careful not to add too much oil. Saute greens until soft and add garlic back into the pan. Toss the garlic and greens so that they mix, and remove it from the heat. Add more salt to taste if necessary.
*To make the chili pepper infused olive oil, it is helpful but not necessary to set it in the sun (the heat assists the volatile oils in the peppers to diffuse into the olive oil). The oil will still absorb the flavor in the shade.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Hot Weather Lime, Ginger & Agave Cooler
June 11, 2013
Yesterday, my rommate returned with an unquenchable thirst. He said he drank some water, but it wasn't helping, and that his mouth was parched. Well, this can be a common complaint in a hot, dry climate like New Mexico. I thought about it, and knew how to quench his thirst. I had informed him in the days prior of a favorite recipe of mine that I often made at home in the hot and humid climate of Miami Beach when I had lived there, that I drank like a fish to ward off dehydration and also to boost my circulation and ward off colds. Plus, it tastes amazing. Also, anytime you feel like you are coming down with a cold, you can add a few drops of echinacea tincture, and the bitterness of the echincacea gets drowned out by yummy, cooling flavor of the lime and zing of the ginger. It makes a great cloak for echinacea tinctures not so pleasing to the palate flavor. He likes his lime-ade a little less lime infused, so I made a weaker version for him and put it in a separate container for him to sip throughout the day. Mine I like much stronger, so I made a separate stronger batch for myself. This is a great alternative for those who don't like drinking straight water to refresh themselves on hot days, and without a doubt for those who think soft drinks are a good idea, as yes, they do taste good, but are extremely dehydrating in the end, not to mention just not healthy for your body (whether it be the corn syrup to sweeten regular sodas, or the aspartame or other chemical sugar substitute used for diet colas). Also, I'm not a big fan of carbonation, unless it is the result of fermentation, such as in kombucha, but that is another story for another day.
So: lime-ginger cooler:
Ingredients:
Water
Freshly squeezed lime (or lemon) juice, or if you don't have a juicer, my favorite is Santa Cruz brand organic lime or lemon juice, which you can pick up at most health food stores (I have always found it stocked on the shelves of whole foods)
agave syrup
Ginger tincture (or fresh ginger root)
You can also substitute maple syrup for the agave, but I wouldn't recommend honey, since it doesn't mix well into cold water preparations.
For every cup of water, I would recommend 2 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice, a dropper and a half of ginger tincture (my favorite is Herb Pharm ginger tincture, however if you can find a glycerine tincture, that is good as well, especially if you are allergic to, or simply don't like alcohol tinctures), and a tablespoon of agave (add enough agave to make it just sweet enough for you, everybody's preference is different).
Yesterday I used stevia in my roomies cooler, and it came out very sweet. We ran out of maple syrup, and we are running low on agave syrup. It was too sweet for me, but he liked it a lot. So that kind of sums up the sweetening situation, ultimately you will add as much or as little lime juice (he prefers a splash, and more sweetener, for example)
This recipe is also a starter for the classic lemon-cayanne cleanse drink. So if you like a little bite in your drinks, you can add a pinch of cayanne pepper to the mix and it will be extremely good for circulation, getting your blood flowing, and any kind of stagnancy you feel within your system, as well as ridding your body of toxic buildup in general, and especially as a super-food type drink to combat any onset of cold and flu, since the ginger and cayenne are natural antibiotics, and the lime juice is high in vitamin C. You can drink one glass of the cayenne drink a day to stave off infections, cold and flu & generally keep yourself healthy, or for more rigorous cleansing & detoxification, drink throughout the day. It's really up to you and what your body can handle, and/or if you like the taste of the drink itself.
*if you don't have the resources to obtain a ginger tincture, there is another way to make this tea with fresh ginger root, which you can buy at most grocery stores. Cut the ginger into several small slices. Put 5-10 slices in a pot of boiling water and let it simmer for 15 minutes to a half hour (depending on how strong you like it). Then let it cool, add the agave and lime juice and drink!
Yesterday, my rommate returned with an unquenchable thirst. He said he drank some water, but it wasn't helping, and that his mouth was parched. Well, this can be a common complaint in a hot, dry climate like New Mexico. I thought about it, and knew how to quench his thirst. I had informed him in the days prior of a favorite recipe of mine that I often made at home in the hot and humid climate of Miami Beach when I had lived there, that I drank like a fish to ward off dehydration and also to boost my circulation and ward off colds. Plus, it tastes amazing. Also, anytime you feel like you are coming down with a cold, you can add a few drops of echinacea tincture, and the bitterness of the echincacea gets drowned out by yummy, cooling flavor of the lime and zing of the ginger. It makes a great cloak for echinacea tinctures not so pleasing to the palate flavor. He likes his lime-ade a little less lime infused, so I made a weaker version for him and put it in a separate container for him to sip throughout the day. Mine I like much stronger, so I made a separate stronger batch for myself. This is a great alternative for those who don't like drinking straight water to refresh themselves on hot days, and without a doubt for those who think soft drinks are a good idea, as yes, they do taste good, but are extremely dehydrating in the end, not to mention just not healthy for your body (whether it be the corn syrup to sweeten regular sodas, or the aspartame or other chemical sugar substitute used for diet colas). Also, I'm not a big fan of carbonation, unless it is the result of fermentation, such as in kombucha, but that is another story for another day.
So: lime-ginger cooler:
Ingredients:
Water
Freshly squeezed lime (or lemon) juice, or if you don't have a juicer, my favorite is Santa Cruz brand organic lime or lemon juice, which you can pick up at most health food stores (I have always found it stocked on the shelves of whole foods)
agave syrup
Ginger tincture (or fresh ginger root)
You can also substitute maple syrup for the agave, but I wouldn't recommend honey, since it doesn't mix well into cold water preparations.
For every cup of water, I would recommend 2 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice, a dropper and a half of ginger tincture (my favorite is Herb Pharm ginger tincture, however if you can find a glycerine tincture, that is good as well, especially if you are allergic to, or simply don't like alcohol tinctures), and a tablespoon of agave (add enough agave to make it just sweet enough for you, everybody's preference is different).
Yesterday I used stevia in my roomies cooler, and it came out very sweet. We ran out of maple syrup, and we are running low on agave syrup. It was too sweet for me, but he liked it a lot. So that kind of sums up the sweetening situation, ultimately you will add as much or as little lime juice (he prefers a splash, and more sweetener, for example)
This recipe is also a starter for the classic lemon-cayanne cleanse drink. So if you like a little bite in your drinks, you can add a pinch of cayanne pepper to the mix and it will be extremely good for circulation, getting your blood flowing, and any kind of stagnancy you feel within your system, as well as ridding your body of toxic buildup in general, and especially as a super-food type drink to combat any onset of cold and flu, since the ginger and cayenne are natural antibiotics, and the lime juice is high in vitamin C. You can drink one glass of the cayenne drink a day to stave off infections, cold and flu & generally keep yourself healthy, or for more rigorous cleansing & detoxification, drink throughout the day. It's really up to you and what your body can handle, and/or if you like the taste of the drink itself.
*if you don't have the resources to obtain a ginger tincture, there is another way to make this tea with fresh ginger root, which you can buy at most grocery stores. Cut the ginger into several small slices. Put 5-10 slices in a pot of boiling water and let it simmer for 15 minutes to a half hour (depending on how strong you like it). Then let it cool, add the agave and lime juice and drink!
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