by Bethany on September 2, 2011
I have a confession to make.
When my friend Christine brought pea pesto crostinis to a baby shower we were hosting at my house, and left a generous amount of extras for my husband to enjoy when he returned home with the toddler, I stood at the kitchen counter and scooped the tomato and pea pesto off each and every crostini before he ever knew what he was missing. It was that good. And I am that greedy.
I have since tweaked the recipe for myself (originial recipe was from Giada deLaurentis), and eaten it on halved grape tomatoes in lieu of crostini. It would also be delicious with raw crudities such as bell pepper and carrots. This recipe is easy and uses staple ingredients; it keeps for several days in the fridge.
Pea Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Place all ingredients except olive oil in food processor and blend. With food processor one, add olive oil in a stream and continue to process until well blended. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
by Bethany on August 9, 2011
What is the easiest dessert in the world? The best dessert to make at the last minute, with ingredients you have in your fridge or pantry? The most forgiving dessert? And best of all, the healthiest dessert? In my opinion, the answer is homemade ice cream, hands-down. I would not grant this honor to the homemade ice cream of my childhood. Don’t get me wrong — I loved Granny’s from-scratch vanilla. However, there was the eternal stirring of custard on the stovetop, rock salt scattered all over the patio, and someone always being sent to the store for just one more bag of ice. Easy? No way. Nutritious? Not so much if you consider the cups of sugar in a standard recipe.
The perk of living in 2011 is that I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine, no rock salt required. And I have access to fresh pastured eggs that I don’t hesitate to serve raw, as well as grass-fed cream and raw milk. The result? Fresh, nutrient-dense homemade ice cream in 20-25 minutes start to finish.
Coffee is my latest favorite. I have made it twice, the first time for company, so I added 3/4 cup maple syrup. Today, I made it for breakfast for my family, and decreased the sweetener. It still tasted great, at least to our warped reduced-sugar taste buds.
Coffee Ice Cream
- 1 pint cream
- 2 cups whole raw milk
- 4-6 raw egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee (I used Trader’s Joe’s decaf)
- 3/4 cup maple syrup OR 2 tablespoons rice syrup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup for a lower-fructose, less sweet ice cream
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with an immersion blender. Pour into ice cream maker and prepare according to your model’s instructions.
This post is a contribution to Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
by Bethany on June 22, 2011
This time last summer, I was mourning the loss of GT Dave’s raw Kombucha from grocery store shelves. I’m very happy to report that the new “Enlightened” version has been available for a few months now.
Like other fans “on the edge since they took kombucha off the shelf,” I was anxious to see if the changes made to comply with alcohol limits would dampen the fizzy magic of kombucha. Both the alcohol content and carbonation of kombucha increase with time; since the new version is made to have a shorter shelf life, the GT’s Enlightened Kombucha has less time to build up that perfect fizz.
The first several Enlightened bottles I bought confirmed my fears; they were flat, entirely flat. I was so bummed that I emailed GT Dave’s to offer some constructive criticism (i.e. whine). The folks at GT Dave’s were super responsive, and explained that they were still tweaking the Enlightened formula, seeking results closer to the Classic. They assured me that there was nothing wrong with the flat bottles (although I still didn’t think they were worth drinking), and even offered to send me some “VIP coupons.”
I was mollified, and a bit hopeful. Sure enough, a month or two later, I gambled another $3.49 on a bottle of Enlightened, and lo and behold, fizz, beautiful fizz! Every bottle I’ve purchased since then has been delightfully effervescent. Hurrah for GT Dave!
by Bethany on May 3, 2011
Tap, tap, tap, tap the tapioca . . . .
Those lines must be a jingle from a 70′s or 80′s TV commercial; I remember my mom singing them to me, although I never remember her actually making us pudding.
Inspired by The Perfect Health Diet, I have been experimenting with low protein, high-fat breakfasts that utilize a “safe starch.” Tapioca is one of the recommended starches, and I just happened to have a box of Minute Tapioca (which expired in 2005) sitting in my cupboard. It turned out none the worse for its age; the result was a satisfying pudding which, when eaten fresh and warm, is reminiscent of a hot cereal, and not very sweet.
Another PHD idea I tried out in this recipe is rice syrup as a sweetener. It is recommended because it is pure glucose, instead of containing fructose like other sweeteners. It worked well in this recipe, although I have a hunch that maple syrup would have won a taste test.
I overhauled the recipe off the Minute Tapioca box, substituting diluted cream for milk, adding an extra egg and yolks, using a small amount of natural sweetener, and bumping up the flavor with some lemon zest. Fresh berries are nice on top, and you could drizzle honey to make it more dessert-like.
Tapioca Pudding
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
- 1 tablespoon sucanat
- 2 tablespoons rice syrup (you could use maple syrup instead, or just increase the sucanat)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- zest of one small lemon
- 2 whole eggs, beaten
- 4 egg yolks
- pinch sea salt
Combine cream, water, sweeteners, tapioca, and two whole eggs in a medium saucepan. Let sit for five minutes. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly. When it comes to full boil, removed from heat and stir in egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest. Eat warm or cold. Pudding will thicken upon standing; this might take 20 minutes or so.
by Bethany on March 30, 2011
This curry is slightly sweet from the pineapple, and can have as much heat as you like with the curry pastes. I’ve been experimenting with curries lately, and have found that you really can’t go wrong with a can of coconut milk, a can of curry paste, and whatever meat, poultry, fish and veggies you happen to have on hand.
My family has really upped our salmon intake lately — it’s my go-to fish. We buy frozen wild-caught salmon at Trader Joe’s and Costco, conveniently packaged with 1-2 fillets per pack. I always cook extra, since salmon is one of the few proteins I enjoy cold out of the fridge, for breakfast or snack. Canned salmon is also great for dishes such as salmon cakes and salmon chowder, and is much less expensive.
Salmon Coconut Curry with Pineapple
- 2 T coconut oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 2 medium carrots, cut into thin slices 2-3″ long
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1/2-3/4 cut pineapple tidbits (I used the frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
- 1 cup frozen petite green peas
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1-3 oz chicken stock
- red and/or green curry paste, to taste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
- Ginger, fresh ground (I keep a bottle in the fridge), to taste, about 1 T
- sea salt or fish sauce to taste
- 4 salmon filets (wild-caught)
- dried basil
- 1-2 limes
To prepare the curry sauce:
Saute’ veggies (except for peas and pineapple) in coconut oil until they soften. Add coconut milk, pineapple, peas, and spices. Simmer until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
To prepare salmon:
Heat 1 T coconut oil in a large stainless steel skillet over high heat. Sprinkle salt and dried basil over salmon fillets, then place fillets flesh-side down in very hot skillet. After two minutes, carefully turn the salmon over and cook for one minute on the skin side. Place entire skillet in 375-degree over for another 5 minutes, or until salmon has cooked through. It might take less than 5 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze a fresh lime over fish.
Serve salmon and curry sauce as desired; my family ate it with rice, and I ate it without and it was delicious and satisfying.
This post is a contribution to Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
by Bethany on January 21, 2011
Whether you have pork chops, pork shoulder, or pork roast, you really can’t go wrong with this spice rub. It’s flavorful but not spicy, and is different without being weird — great for picky eaters. My husband adores this recipe, and so does my toddler. I have even added cut-up sweet potatoes to the pot with great results.
I adapted this recipe from the lovely Smitten Kitchen
Pork Adobado
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1.5 tablespoons paprika
- 1.5 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
In a small skillet over low heat, combine olive oil, garlic and oregano. Heat for 2 minutes or until they become aromatic. Stir in cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Double for a large roast or other cut of pork.
Rub the spice paste into the pork of your choice and bake covered in a dutch oven at 325 degrees until tender, 1-1.5 hours for pork chops and longer for larger pieces of meat.
This recipe is a contribution to Monday Mania over at The Healthy Home Economist as well as Real Food Fiesta at Real Food Whole Health.
by Bethany on January 12, 2011
Want to know something funny? I originally got this recipe from Cooking Light, the magazine that tells you to substitute applesauce for butter and use those aerosol sprays to cut back on fat. I used to go for that kind of thing, before I saw the light and realized butter was healthy. Now, I try to double the butter and halve the sugar.
Even though “light” cooking is not my thing anymore, I have to admit that Cooking Light really has produced some delicious recipes; they just need a little fattening up. Like this one, a one-dish meal that’s as delicious as it is quick. It just goes to show that with a little tweaking, you can find satisfying real food recipes anywhere.
Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork
- 1 lb ground pork
- one bag frozen organic green beans, whole
- two medium onions, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (unrefined)
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 4 Tablespoons bacon fat or refined coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar (I use sucanat)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce (naturally fermented)
Saute’ onions and green beans in fat until they begin to soften; add pork and cook until browned and veggies are tender. Mix remaining ingredients and stir into pan, cooking for several more minutes while stirring constantly. Serve alone or over rice.
This post is a contribution to Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
by Bethany on January 10, 2011
Although I grew up in Mississippi, I never realized how wonderful collard greens were until I started making them for myself here in Boston.
Traditionally, collard recipes call for a ham hock, which is wonderful, but I seldom have ham hocks on hand. I do, however, have bacon and homemade chicken stock, which add depth. Apple cider vinegar and red pepper flakes give these collards a little sour and a little spicy, taking them over the top flavor-wise.
They freeze beautifully, so I always make an extra-big batch. Collards are versatile, going well with other foods such as sweet potatoes, salmon cakes, pork, or roasted chicken.
Collard Greens
- 2 bunches collard greens
- 1-2 onions, chopped
- 1 package bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2-4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/3-2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
There is no one right way to cut and wash collards, but here is the method that works for me: Cut the thickets part of stems out with a sharp chef’s knife. Then take a stack of several leaves, roll into a log, and slice into sections approximately 1.5-2 inches think. You will then want to slice these “logs” into about three pieces, so that you end up with rectangular pieces of collards. Rinse collards well in colander.
In a large dutch oven, saute’ bacon until crips; remove. Saute’ onions in remaining bacon fat until tender. Add remaining ingredients, including reserved bacon, and simmer for 1-1.5 hours, or until collards are very tender. (I don’t have a picture of the finished product, but they will turn dark green. You don’t want to undercook collards.)
Yankees and Southerners alike agree that this recipe is finger lickin’ good.
This post is a contribution to Monday Mania, hosted by The Healthy Home Economist.
by Bethany on January 8, 2011
Don’t you just love anything fried? No really, don’t try to be politically correct — we may all try to act above it, but the fact is, fried food is tasty. And when you view (healthy) fats as friends, taboo foods can become health foods; you just have to take the time to make them yourself.
These banana fritters, fried in coconut oil, are a true treat. This was the first time I’ve made a batter out of almond flour, and it exceeded my expectations. My criteria for grain-free recipes is that they stand on their own merit as good food, and are not merely shadows of the original. These banana fritters hit the mark.
My toddler enjoyed them cold out of the fridge as leftovers, and they were also a success frozen and thawed (place on a cookie sheet in freezer for about 15 minutes to prevent sticking together, then stick in freezer ziplock). These fritters are a great pre-made snack to pack in lunches or eat on the go.
Thanks to Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist, for this excellent recipe, which I have modified.
Banana Fritters
- 2 large, ripe bananas
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour*
- 1/4 cup whole coconut milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch sea salt
- cinnamon & honey to drizzle on top
Mix batter well in a glass bowl. Slice bananas (I sliced in half, then in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again; you could also slice into coins).
Heat coconut oil to about 1/2 inch deep in a dutch oven or stainless skillet for a few minutes on med-high heat.
Dip bananas in batter (batter will be very thick and should coat banana slices as well as possible) and place into hot oil. The oil should be hot enough that the bananas sizzle when added to the pan. Fry in small batches, careful not to overcrowd the pan, until brown on both sides, flipping halfway through.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with honey to taste.
*I used almond meal from Trader Joe’s. The original recipe recommends grinding your own flour from soaked and dehydrated almonds, which provides maximum digestibility.
by Bethany on January 2, 2011
Today we welcomed the New Year with a twist on the traditional Southern black-eyed peas and greens. I tweaked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, increasing the liquid to make more of a soup. A rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods and some kale chips I made back before Christmas made this an easy New Year’s menu.
Normally I would use dried beans, soaking them up to 24 hours in water before using them in the dish. However, I forgot to pick them up at the grocery store the night before, so I settled for picking up a couple of cans from the neighborhood grocery on New Year’s Day. We definitely prefer the dried beans.
Black-Eyed Peas in a Spicy Goan Curry
- 1 cup dried black-eyed peas or two 15-ounce cans, drained
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried coriander
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (I used jarred ginger that keeps in the fridge)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2-3/4 cup chopped tomatoes (I used Pomi, which comes in carton — no BPA!)
- 1.5-2 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste if using canned peas
- 1/2 teaspoon sucanat
- 1 can coconut milk (not light)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
If using dried black-eyed peas, rinse and soak them in enough warm water to cover for 8-24 hours. Drain.
In a large dutch oven, heat the butter and coconut oil over medium heat and saute’ the onion until soft. Add the coriander, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne and cumin and stir for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and stir over low heat for a couple of minutes.
Add the peas and mix well. Pour in the stock, add the salt and sugar, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are cooked through, about 20 minutes. If using canned peas, simmer for only 10 minutes (it is essential to simmer the canned peas, too, so that all the flavors blend better). Stir in the coconut milk and lemon juice; simmer uncovered for another 8 to 10 minutes, again allowing the flavors to come together.
Can be served with rice or on its own.
