lemon zest cookies

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These super easy cookies are a tangy delicious treat, and a great addition to the kids lunch.  Gluten-free and and naturally sweetened, they are a cinch to make and can be enjoyed baked or raw.

ingredients

  • 1-1/3 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut
  • zest of one lemon
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • extra coconut for rolling

preparation

Mix all ingredients in food processor and blend until a paste forms.  Scoop out dough and shape into balls about one inch in diameter.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

You can eat them as is, or bake in 250F oven for twenty minutes.  Makes about 30 little cookies.

Note: Raw honey should never be given to infants as they lack sufficient stomach acid to combat the possibility of bacteria.

 

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kombucha

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Blessing “the “hands that feed me”…

To bless doesn’t just mean “think good thoughts” or “be nice.”   To bless is far more radical. It is to actually give life, to have one’s cup run over into the lives of others. To have one’s parents’ blessings is to have each of them send you off into life saying  “I see you. I know you are good. I believe in you. I trust you. I am proud of you. May you be fruitful and multiply…”   To bless is to speak from and for and to the divine, as a priest blesses a marriage or christens a baby. To bless is to respect the integrity and mystery of the life of another.”  (Vicki Robin – Blessing the Hands That Feed Us)

In case it’s new to you, kombucha is sugar sweetened tea that is fermented and cultured into a sour tonic drink  that can be double fermented to get a fizzy carbonation in the final beverage.

The fermentation occurs through the work of a community of microorganisms.  Kombucha is cultured into fermented tea through the SCOBY – a rubbery disk that floats atop of the tea and takes the shape of the fermentation vessel.  This is similar to the making of apple cider vinegar – which forms a similar by product known as mother of vinegar.  It’s pretty interesting stuff… and takes some getting used to, but it works!

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 Some Russians call kombucha tea kvass.

In recent years kombucha has gone from relative obscurity to top selling health tonic and is now available in most health food chains, including MOMS Organic Market and Whole Foods.

One point of note is that kombucha is not for everyone, and so if it doesn’t agree with you, don’t drink it.  It’s not meant to be guzzled like a tall glass of water.

We’ve started making ours, but in small batches.  Last summer we babysat a friends kombucha brew, which made more than a gallon per brew.  It was too much.

You can find lots of information on brewing kombucha as well as supplies and recipes here: Kombucha Kamp.

We’ve been having fun experimenting with kombucha infused with grapefruit and with ginger.

Grapefruit Infused Kombucha

 

 

Lenten Greek Bean Salad – Fassolia Salata

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“But unless humility, simplicity, and goodness adorn our lives, and are associated with prayer, the mere formality of prayer will avail us nothing. And this I say, not of prayer only, but of every other outward exercise or labor undertaken with a notion of virtue.” —Saint Macarius

 

Lenten menus tend to feature beans…. lots and lots of beans.

We have two favorite local Greek restaurants, The Plaka and Nostos.  For any locals, this dish is inspired by our local Greek Restaurant in Tyson’s…. Nostos which has a wonderful menu with some very traditional dishes, way beyond gyros and souvlaki.   The recipe below is modified from the one found in Foods of the Greek Islands, by Aglaia Kremezi, which is more of a salad with a dijon mayonnaise base than this version.

In every recipe in which you use dried beans, take the time to soak them- either in plain water or even better, with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar added to the the beans and water.  That this is similar to the traditional methods your grandmother or great-grandmother might have done.  They knew a thing or two about cooking and those traditions, well…they lend to maximum digestibility and nutrition.

Traditional peoples whose cuisines were based on legumes prepared them with great care.  Beans are soaked for long periods before they are cooked – some varieties in acidic water and some in neutral or slightly alkaline water.  The soaking water is poured off, the beans are rinsed.  As the beans cook, all foam that rises to the top of the water is skimmed off.  Such care and preparation in cooking ensures that the beans will be thoroughly digestible and all the nutrients they provide well assimilated, because such careful preparation neutralizes phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and breaks down complex-sugars. (Nourishing Traditions)

How did they know this without nutrition fact panels?  One reason might be that at that time their food supply had not become so laden with toxic and artificial chemical ingredients and sugars – so our ancestors actually knew how foods made them feel on a more subtle level than do we.  They had a cleaner more pure food supply, so their bodies – not having the daily nutritional noise and non or even anti-nutrition -coursing through them -knew when something didn’t sit right.  We, on the other hand, are fairly used to not feeling nourished, so it just goes unnoticed.

Soaking also allows the beans to be more agreeable in other ways (if you get my drift!) because it helps break down some of the more complex sugars which are gas causing.

Especially for those larger kidney, northern whites, chickpeas and black eyed peas, a good soak is in order.  Soaking your beans does the beans and yourself a favor.  First of all, dried beans are a fraction of the price of those canned, so in big families this is a budgetary boon.  Further – the soaking neutralizes phytates and enzyme inhibitors that bind the nutrition of the bean, such that we can not absorb it… in some cases, large amounts of phytates can bind to the minerals in the rest of our meal and making them unavailable.

One other note- canned beans do not offer the same benefits as soaking.  Canned beans are high in sodium are canned under very high pressures.  This does not neutralize phytates and the danger is that such processing denatures proteins and other nutrients at the same time.  We do use canned beans in a pinch, but sparingly.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups dried white beans (great northern work well), soaked over night and drained

1/2 cup finely diced shallots, red onion or spring onions

1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsely

1 garlic clove minced

3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

optional: 1/4 cup olive oil

 

Preparation:

Place beans in large pot with cold water covering them by 2-3 inches.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about one hour or until tender.

Combine the beans and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir well and let sit for the flavors to combine (about 1 hour).

 

Serve as a side dish to your favorite meal.

Fasting : nourishment for the hungry soul

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“Let Thy food be Thy medicine and let Thy medicine be Thy food.”  Hippocrates

This is a quote used widely within the circles of holistic nutrition… indeed in our quest for health nutrition has practically become a religion unto itself.  Many will change their diets and fast for outward physical health to an extreme, but what about spiritual health?

For Orthodox Christians, the Great Fast of the Church is upon us.

Already, these last weeks in Church we have been preparing for Lent, slowly giving up meat and this week we partake of our last bits of dairy.  These weeks of preparation culminate this Sunday, when Orthodox Christians around the world will voluntarily deprive themselves of meat, eggs and dairy for the next forty days as we make the Lenten journey.

Despite what might seem to be fairly strict dietary guidelines, the Fast is not aimed at physical deprivation, but spiritual health and sobriety.

In fact, the very first act of the Fast and the ushering of Great Lent is the Sunday of Forgiveness – a time where we genuinely seek mutual reconciliation with our brothers and sisters.  “For He then who hates his brother is separated from God, since God is Love.”  (Saint John of Karpathos)

You see, without love for neighbor, there is no Fast.

Great Lent is a struggle and also a holistic journey of healing and rejuvenation.  Each fasts to the best of their ability, age, physical health and medical circumstance in accordance with their Priest or Spiritual Father.  We struggle in abstinence from foods, but perhaps the greater struggle is to forgive or find humility or to reconcile, to love and to pray.

It’s counterintuitive, but the Lenten dietary restrictions actually take the focus off of what we’re eating so that we might flesh out what’s eating us – and our relationships – with God and one another.

Orthodox Fasting is medicine and nourishment for the hungry soul.

The Fast is not about eating perfectly but is rather the salt of devotion and the quest for closeness to God.  There are some who would say that this seasonal deprivation of certain foods is mindless or ritual, but to them the question, where is the ritual in the heart seeking God?

Others call Fasting a tool and that is true.   It’s the anaphoric lever – lifting our hearts to God, Who is Love.

We eat less but are enriched and fortified with the spiritual nourishment of greater alms giving – love for our neighbor through charity and goodness; prayer; watchfulness and greater attendance at the services of the Fast.  All of that is not to be taken lightly.

Fasting is joy, dependence on God, who is Life ~ and our thankfulness to Him, for all things.  It is eating to live rather than living to eat.

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Great Lent is about Love…

…because He first loved us.  Lent is a spiritual movement.  An interior progression – becoming closer, rekindling and renewing our relationship with God or perhaps even discovering it for the first time.  This kinetic cooperation, our movement in Christ, spans the whole of our lives and is about the heart.

In that sense, the Fast is about the Greatest Commandment – to love God above all and love our neighbor as ourselves.

We fast for the Resurrection and the Life of the age to come!

Wishing us all a joyous and profitable Lent.

hagia-sophia.deisis

Nourishment for the Fast:

 

† The Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian †

“Lord and Master of my life,take away from me the spirit of idleness, of despondency, of ambition and of unprofitable words.  But give to me, Thy servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, of patience and of love.  Teach me O Lord, to see mine own faults, and not to judge my brother.  For Thou art blessed unto ages and ages.  Amen”

 

† Saint Silouan – Wisdom from Mount Athos ~ On Love †

The man who knows the delight and love of God – when warmed by grace, loves both God and her brother – knows in part that ‘the kingdom of God is within us.’  Blessed is the soul that loves her brother, for our brother is our life.”

 

† Prayer of the Optina Elders †

Grant unto me, my Lord, that with peace of mind I may face all that this new day is to bring.  Grant unto me Grace to surrender myself completely to Thy Holy Will.  For every hour of this day instruct and prepare me in all things.  Whatsoever tidings I may receive during the day, do Thou teach me to accept tranquilly, in the firm conviction that all eventualities fulfill Thy Holy Will.  Govern Thou my feelings and thoughts in all I do and say.  When unforeseen things occur, let me not forget that all cometh from Thee.  Teach me to behave sincerely and reasonably toward every member of my family, that I may bring them no confusion or sorrow.  Bestow upon me, my Lord, strength to endure the fatigue of the day, and to bear my part in all it’s passing events.  Guide Thou my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to suffer and to love.  Amen.

Papou’s Lentils ~  Soup for the Soul

This is a Lenten Staple…

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound dried lentils – soaked over night in water
  • 1 onion chopped fine
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped fine
  • 1 small can tomato sauce, or 3 tsp tomato paste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 7 cups water

The night before, place lentils in a bowl and fill with water three inches above the lentils.  Let stand overnight. (You know, just like our grandmothers did… this breaks down some of the less digestible starches in the lentils and therefore provides greater nutrient availability at mealtime.  It also reduces gas!)

Place lentils and all ingredients (except vinegar and flour) in large stock pot.  Cover and bring to slow boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 and a half hours.  In small bowl mix flour and vinegar until no chunks of flour remain.    Stir into soup and cook for 10 more minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with toasted bread and a green side salad – with lemon or orange juice dressing!

Resources:

The Lenten Triodion, Introduction

Manley, J. (1990). The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox: daily scripture readings and commentary for Orthodox Christians. Menlo Park, Calif.: Monastery Books. (pages 680 and 690)

sauerkraut

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Farm Fresh Cabbages

“I have come to the conclusion that the most important element in human life is faith.  If God were to take away all the blessings, health, physical fitness,  wealth, intelligence, and leave me with but one gift, I would ask for faith— for with faith in God, in God’s goodness, mercy, love for me, and belief in everlasting life, I believe I could still be happy, trustful, leaving all to God’s inscrutable providence.” —Rose Kennedy

 

Most people would agree that we live in a germ-ophobic country.  YET, all around us and within us there is a microscopic world, things invisible – an interconnected multitude of fungus and bacteria.  (uh-oh…)  From the beginnings we coexisted with these little organisms; we even harnessed their help to age and preserve our food without refrigeration.  However, when Louis Pasteur uncovered the role of bacteria in disease, (which is a great thing!) we began to fear them as dangerous enemies and in fearing them we forgot about their role in health.

Not all bacteria and fungi are bad.

In our modern antiseptic world, it can take a leap of faith – and maybe even a little science – to calm our fears, reacquaint ourselves and get comfortable with the microcosmos around and within us.  A little reminder that the world God created is good  (it was also raw and unpasteurized, by the way!) and that I can rely on that whole food creation -more than food scientists and industry- for the plentiful nourishment of my family!   You know what?  So can YOU!

The word sauerkraut is German for “sour cabbage” – but the French call it choucroute.  Whatever you call it, sauerkraut is probably to most widely known fermented food behind, pickles, olives and yogurt.

Probably the most widely known sauerkraut is Bavarian style, which is shredded cabbage, salt and seasoned with caraway seeds.  Some other German styles use juniper berries to season the kraut.

 

A word on the nutritional virtues of sauerkraut.

 

Fermented sauerkraut is not only pre-gested thereby making it’s nutritional profile more bioavailable, it is also low in calories, high in fiber, and is a good source of vitamins K, C and folate and also the minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, manganese and iron.  It has a great profile of antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory.  Cabbage is exceedingly nutritious on it’s own merits, but let it ferment and it’s full potential is silently revealed.

Studies that “analyzed cabbage before and after fermentation to see how the elements had changed  found that the glucosinolates in cabbage dissolved into a class of enzymes that have been shown in prior studies to prevent cancer.” (Preventdisease.com)

But that’s not all!  Sauerkraut also helps to maintain the acid/base balance of the body, helps to regulate blood sugar levels making it useful for hypoglycemics and diabetics and has been associated with preserving ocular health.

Like all ferments, sauerkraut  is high in naturally occurring lactic acid which helps maintain a healthy acidity in the large intestine, thus creating an environment that is hostile to parasites  and yeast but comfortable for good bacteria.

 

Ready to give it a try?

 

Fermentation takes neither much time, or effort.  It’s a great way to add great nutrition to the table, and making it yourself is a real money saver when you’re on a budget and feeding a large family.

It’s super nourishing, unassuming and delicious.  We eat it because it tastes great.  On it’s own, adorning a brat or hot dog, or even as a great garnish on a wintery day’s BLT.  You can buy sauerkraut in the store, but if you want all the benefits of the ferment, then it’s best to look for small batch, artisinal, organic, lacto-fermented varieties that are also non-pastuerized.

 

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Michael Pollan says about fermenting, “Koreans, who know a thing or two about fermentation, distinguish between the “tongue taste” of various foods and the “hand taste“.  Tongue taste is a simple matter of molecules making contact with taste buds – the kind of cheap and easy flavors any food scientist or food corporation can produce.  Hand taste is the far more complex experience of a food that bears the indelible mark – the care and sometimes even the love – of the person who made it.  The sauerkraut (and most anything else) you make yourself will have hand taste.”

That makes a lot of sense here at Nourishing Grace, because the word nourish is quite beautiful and comes from the latin nutrire, which means to feed or cherish, to preserve, look after or suckle. That implies a “hands on” relationship!

 

“Better is a dish of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” —Proverbs 15: 17

 

Of all our nourishment let it be rooted in goodness and love as we prepare and enjoy our meals with loved ones at the table!

 

 

how to make your own sauerkraut

Equipment

1 – 1 gallon Ceramic crock or  wide mouth mason jar

plate or plastic that will fit inside

 

ingredients for sauerkraut

2 medium heads fresh cabbage (fresh local cabbage is the best because of it’s higher moisture content the salt will draw out more water for the brine.

3 tablespoons sea salt

 

process

chop or shred the cabbage.  We use a food processor

As you process the cabbage, place in bowl and sprinkle salt on each layer.  The salt osmotically draws the water out of the cabbage.  This becomes the brine in which the cabbage ferments without rotting.

mixing the sauerkraut

mixing the sauerkraut

 

Mix the ingredients together and you can either pound the cabbage, or massage with good firm squeezing.  That will all serve to draw out the brine.  You can also mix it and leave it for a half an hour and then start the pounding or massaging.

 

massaging the cabbage

massaging the cabbage

 

Transfer the mixture to the crock or mason jar.  Tamp it down firmly.  You can use a tamper or your fist.  I use my hands.  Push the cabbage below the brine level.  Fermentation works because the vegetables stay below the brine.  So in this oxygen deprived environment, anaerobic, only the good bacteria are able to survive and thrive.  Place a clean weight over in the crock over the cabbage to keep it down.  This can be a smaller jar with water in it.

To be honest, I do not always use a weight.  My ferments are always on the kitchen counter, so I wash my hands and push it beneath the brine several times a day.  But if you are not able to do that, it’s best to use a weight.

 

Sauerkraut on the Ferment

 

The sauerkraut will develop at a rate directly correlated with temperature.  At 45 Fahrenheit, fermentation is very slow, at 90 Fahrenheit it is notably faster.  Lower temperatures, in the 70 Fahrenheit range make a superior kraut.

After 3-5 days, give the sauerkraut a taste.

See if it suits you.  Some people love the flavor of an immature green kraut.  If it’s not the flavor profile you want, let it sit longer for the flavors to develop.  Once it is to your liking, place in smaller jars and move to the refrigerator or other cool spot (like a root cellar).  The slows down the fermentation process.

Taste-testing the developing sauerkraut has become my daughters job and her taste buds are definitely evolving.  We currently have a jar of sauerkraut that has been on the counter for three weeks.  We are using it, but she has not asked to have it moved the fridge.  Surprisingly it has not gotten very very sour, just more delicious.

There are many ways to enjoy your kraut, most recently we had ours atop BLT’s served on a great sourdough made during the big snow storm.

sourdough BLT with sauerkraut

sourdough BLT with sauerkraut

 

 

Sources:

Katz, Sandor Ellix. The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes From Around the World.  White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2012. Print.

“What Are The Benefits Of Sauerkraut Juice?”. Livestrong.Com

Ten Reasons to Eat Fresh Unpasteurized Sauerkraut | Vitality Magazine | Toronto Canada alternative health, natural medicine and green living

dinner in a pinch : R-amen!

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“Our hope is that the winter of humanity will gradually be transformed to the bursting forth of love, for it is to this that we are called.” —Jean Vanier

This is becoming another favorite for the evenings when the kids have activities and we are at a pinch for time.  When I was young we used to LOVE ramen noodles.  My brother and I would come home from school and eat the noodles straight from the pack – without even cooking them!  So, this meal is a trip down memory lane.

Now though, as a student of holistic nutrition, the ingredients in your average store-bought ramen present a major culinary impasse.  We just can’t do the ninety nine cent ramen pack- loaded with MSG and lacking any nutritional value.

It’s important for me to nourish my family well, especially during the cold winter months when it’s all too easy to come down with the flu or a cold .  With all that home made broth we’ve stocked in our pantry, we now have an easy canvas for almost anything we can throw together.  Add to that the mineral richness of stock and bone broth, and your getting a great meal with immune boosting properties.

Recently, I discovered Lotus brand foods.  They have a great and fun selection of ramen noodles, with a short but admirable list of ingredients.  There are individual soups, to which you can just add water, but we really like the big packets of ramen noodles.  There are Millet and Brown Ramen,  Forbidden Rice Ramen made with black rice and Jade Pearl Rice.

Lotus Brand Ramen Noodles

A well stocked pantry makes this an easy weeknight meal.  You’ll need some vegetables of your choice, noodles, seasoning and broth.  This recipe is really a framework for whatever you have on hand.  We make it new every time but this serves as a good guide.  You can use anything you have on hand.

 

super easy R-AMEN! (serves 4)

 

ingredients

1 packet Lotus Ramen noodles (4 squares of pressed ramen/ package)

Vegetable of your choice – we used 4 carrots – shredded with a vegetable peeler

a few handfuls greens per bowl- baby spinach, baby kale or even lettuces

6-9 cups chicken, beef, fish or vegetable stock

optional: 1 cup fermented tofu, shredded chicken (we always have leftovers from making broth) or any meat or fish

also optional : wakame seaweed flakes, toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, chopped parsley, basil or cilantro, red pepper flakes or hot sauce of your choice     🙂

 

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Unccoked Jade Pearl Ramen

preparation

place equal amounts of carrot shavings and greens into each bowl  (about a heaping cupful or two for each serving, they will wilt nicely once you place the hot broth into the bowl).   Really, any vegetable is fine, you can just as easily use red or green peppers, tomatoes, thinly sliced cabbage, sliced fresh green beans, bean  or other sprouts – whatever you have on hand!

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greens and vegetables

place ramen noodles and broth into a pot and warm until ramen cooks – about 5 – 10 minutes.  You can also cook the ramen in boiling water.

Ladle ramen noodles and broth distributing evenly between bowls.

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For a variation, top with a spoonful of homemade sauerkraut or kimchee for an extra tang!  YUM!  Fry or poach a pasture raised egg and lay it on top of of your soup if your extra hungry.

Serve with a big side salad and you’ve got an easy weeknight meal!

matzoh ball ~ soup for the soul

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“Real humility is light and buoyant, not weighted down by insecurity, self loathing or an obsession with being known and admired. Humility spends the time and energy freed up by not agonizing over one’s self reveling in the grace of everyday blessings big and small. Humility genuinely rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep. Humility retains forever its childlike sense of hope and wonder.” ~ Molly Sabourin

Matzoh ball soup is comfort food at its finest and a great use for your homemade chicken stock!

Food sustains physical life and yet is greater than the nourishment it brings to the table.  Food gathers people  and traditional foods – passed from generation to generation tell a story.  These generational foods – shrouded in history, symbolism and ritual tell the story of peoples and their journeys of life and in that category Matzoh Ball Soup definitely tops the charts.

The Matzoh is probably one of the best known Biblical foods and one that has humbly stood the test of time.  It is a food which tells the story of the exodus of a chosen people and the guiding Hand that frees them from bondage in Egypt.

Matza is unleavened bread –  and one of the three biblical culinary components of the Jewish Passover Seder – it is also called the bread of affliction.  For Jewish families, Matzo is the only type of bread eaten throughout the Passover festival.  The generational story of the matzo is one of slavery and freedom.   The last shared act that every Israelite performed before being freed from slavery in Egypt, as well as the very first act that the entire nation shared as free people at their first stop, was eating matzo. (Encyclopedia of Jewish Food).

The first time my family ever tried matzoh ball soup was last year, visiting grandparents in Florida.  We went their favorite Deli, TooJays  in Orlando.  Such a simple dish, utilizing the most basic and unassertive ingredients – chicken broth, seasonal vegetables, eggs, schmalz (saved chicken fat – from your stock) salt and pepper.  This is quintessential comfort food!

Traditionally, matzo balls are served in a broth only served with carrots – but you can make it your own with whatever favorite vegetables you love!  This recipe doubles and triples nicely!  It also freezes well if you make a big batch.  We portion it into servings for two or four and freeze.  That way it is on hand, ready to thaw, heat and nourish on those busy school nights laden with activities and little time!

Matzoh Ball Soup – it brings nourishing comfort to the body and as the old saying goes – the soul too!

 

ingredients:

3 eggs

9 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup grated onion

1/2 cup melted chicken fat (Note: Jewish families would not substitute butter as that is prohibited during the Passover.  We used butter (preferably pasture raised).

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

1 cup matzo meal (you can make your own by placing Matzo crackers and pulse in food processor or blender.  The other option is to buy it ready to use)

4- 5 diced carrots, sauteed

2 talblespoons chopped parsely  and/or chives (optional)

 

preparation

Beat the eggs together and 1/2 cup of stock.

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Stir in the grated onion, salt, pepper and fat.

Add the matzo meal.  The dough will be moist.  Cover the mixture and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.

 

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Shape into matzo balls – about 1 inch in diameter.

Now, you can either heat a pot of salted water or heat your chicken stock (which is a personal preference.)  Drop matzo balls into boiling broth.  The matzo balls will expand and absorb a lot of liquid.  Turn the heat ti medium and let the balls cook for about 30 minutes to set.

 

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Serve one to two matzo balls with broth and sprinkle with chopped parsley and or chives.

 

 

 

winter ferments – gingered beet and carrot slaw

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The dinner table in a monastery is always set with care for both daily fare and feast days. Food is arranged to show the full beauty of God’s harvest in vegetables, grains, dairy products, and fruit.

Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette

Oh…!  The rich earthy flavor of this slaw just get better over time.  If you are a fan of beets, this does not disappoint – not one bit!  Fermenting is a low-cost, efficient and easy process that preserves foods – some indefinitely!  We still have the remnants of a corn jalapeño salsa ~ from two years ago ~ that is still viable, delicious and enjoyed!

Ferments have a self sufficient versatility – but at the same time, pair well with a variety of dishes.  Fermenting your own vegetables is an artisanal delight that is flavorful, healthy and when made with your local harvest good for the planet too!

 

Gingered Beet and Carrot Slaw

When fermenting –  use the best quality ingredients available to you.  Remember, local, simple and seasonal freshness make all the difference in and to the world!

ingredients:

300 grams fresh shredded carrots

500-600 grams fresh shredded beets

100 -200  grams onions (optional)

1/2 – 1 teaspoon shredded fresh ginger

2 teaspoons salt

fermenting ingredients

preparation:

Wash hands.  Place all ingredients in large clean bowl.  Mix and massage the mixture with hands, squeezing to extract the natural juices.  Some recipes call for a brine to be added to the slaw, but my experience (and preference) is that my local fresh ingredients produce enough liquid when the salt is added to cover the vegetables.  This is the same principle used for sauerkraut.

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Mix for about 10 minutes (this is a great work out!).  Place in a clean mason jar and leave out of direct sunlight.

After about 5 days taste and continue to do this every day until the taste you desire is achieved.

 

 Fermented Beet Carrot and Ginger Slaw

 

On the Ferment – the amazing health benefits of fermented foods

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“Monastic cookery, as it has been practiced through the centuries, is cherished for its emphasis on simplicity, wholesome frugality, basic good taste, and the seasonal rhythms of the ingredients used.

Monastic kitchens always strive for a healthy and balanced diet, fully aware from past experience that the monk and the nun must be properly nourished to serve God well.

The human body is the temple of God, and its dietary needs must be respected.”  Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette

Ferments, in all their glory and wonder, are an amazingly simple way to boost the nourishment of vegetables, boost immune function and honor our body’s dietary needs.  They are a staple in the pantry stocked for ease of meals and vibrant health.  It seems strange to us that people from earlier generations knew how to extend the edible life of their vegetables without the use of freezers or pasteurization.  But, throughout the ages, people around the world, without any awareness of the scientific principles involved, utilized and prized fermented foods.

One of the benefits of fermentation are the formation of probiotics.  These are friendly tiny little micro-organisms that promote digestive wellness.  These healthy communities of beneficial microflora and bacteria in our gut have an intensely positive impact on our overall health.

Most people these days are aware that 80% of our immune system resides in the gut BUT did you know that the vast majority of the DNA in you does not even belong to you!  It’s a pretty amazing fact that

You have ten times more bacteria in your gut than you have cells in your body.  And those bacteria comprise 99 percent of the DNA in your body.  If only 1 percent of our DNA is human, and 99 percent is alien, you have to ask the question, who hosts whom??  These bacteria are called your microbiota…  The microbiota function much like an organ, and they act as a major part of the immune system.  They protect us from microbial and parasitic diseases… and contribute to our rate of aging.  (Lipski, 2012)

In that light, it’s clear that we were designed to live in symbiotic harmony with these bacteria.  Yet, modern advances – while wonderful in many respects – have led to an age where antibiotics, stress, over consumption of refined processed foods, alcohol, and over the counter prescriptions easily disrupt the delicate balance of of our digestive biome.  As a result, we are the first generation needing to consider how to refortify our diets with these helpful organisms!

There is still so much to be known about this remarkable ecosystem within us – but, thus far, we have learned a lot!  Did you know that:

  • Probiotics maintain the integrity of the intestinal tract. Each different probiotic has specific effects on the human digestive system and is able to compete with disease causing bacteria. Thriving microflora in your gut actually fights for your very health and survival!! Think about that for a minute!

  • Certain probiotics secrete large amounts of acetic, formic and lactic acid, which makes the intestinal environment inhospitable to invading microbes and helps prevent or lessen the severity of food poisoning.

  • Probiotics manufacture vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and K

  • Probiotics aid in the digestion of lactose and dairy products and digest proteins.

  • Probiotics increase the absorption of minerals.

  • Probiotics reduce intestinal inflammation.

  • Probiotics balance intestinal pH.

  • Probiotics improve or prevent irritable bowel syndrome.

  • Probiotics prevent and treat diarrhea from antibiotics and traveling.

  • Probiotics manufacture essential fatty acids and short chain fatty acids. These fatty acids actually feed the cells of the colon and optimize the colon’s pH for improved or optimal colon health!

  • Probiotics prevent and control vaginal yeast infection, thrush and bladder infection.

The list above is just a partial highlight of the amazing things that go on inside you when you eat simply and well!  It’s clear that intestinal microbes play a vital and front line role in our immune defenses.  Because they only reproduce in our digestive system for a few weeks before being eliminated – probiotic rich foods are a staple of a well balanced diet.

 

Properly prepared ferments add probiotics in the trillions per spoonful, with an efficacy far superior (and cost effective) to probiotics in tablet form.

 

When selecting your foods, keep in mind, variety is the spice of life.  If the only fermented food you eat is yogurt, you are missing out on all of the anti-inflammatory benefits of foods like sauerkraut, kimchee, kefir, brined pickles & olives, and various slaws.

Each different ferment provides a variety of bacteria and the different vegetables all bring their unique health properties to the table.

 

Local Seasonal Cabbage

ready for duty!

 

New to ferments?  Wondering how to introduce them to your family?

 
 
Okay, I totally understand that!  If you have infants and toddlers, you are in the best situation.  Little ones tend to accept new flavors readily.  We started later on the journey, with some pretty opinionated tastebuds and peer pressures.  So what was helpful was to keep in mind that a little goes a long way.  It’s really not necessary to eat a lot.  Just a tablespoon as part of each meal yields wonderful health benefits!  Build up from there if you wish.

Taste buds vary among our kids and some enjoy ferments more than others.  Our oldest loves the sauerkraut and salsa.  She usually takes more than a spoonful at each meal.  The youngest isn’t the biggest fan and she gravitates toward gingered carrots, beets and pickles.  Any vegetable can be fermented – even green beens and asparagus.

A great friend of mine from Bulgaria, actually remembers her parents and grandparents fermenting all their summer vegetables because, during communism, there was not a year round supply to be found in stores during the winter.

I was in awe!

 

Sauerkraut on the Ferment

Sauerkraut on the Ferment!

 

Ferments have a self sufficient versatility – but at the same time, pair well with a variety of dishes.  Fermenting your own vegetables is an artisanal delight that is flavorful, healthy and when made with your local harvest good for the planet too!

easy almond milk

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“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.”  -Job 14.7

 

Any grain, nut or seed can be sprouted.  The process of germination enhances the food through not only producing vitamin C, but also changing the composition of the nuts or seeds in numerous beneficial ways.

  • Sprouting increases vitamin B content, especially B2, B5 and B6.
  • Just as important, sprouting neutralizes phytates.  Phytic acid is present in all legumes, nuts and seeds and represent a serious problem to our diets.  Phytates inhibit our absorption of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.  This issue of phytates and their ability to not only interfere with the absorption of the minerals in the almond milk, but also their ability to bind with minerals from our own diets becomes an important one.  Traditional methods of preparing nuts included soaking them.
  • Another benefit of sprouting is that it neutralizes enzyme inhibitors present in nuts and seeds and increases enzyme activity as much as six fold.  Prior to neutralization, these enzyme inhibitors can actually neutralize our own enzymes, the ones found in our digestive tract!

Sprouted almond milk is an item we keep on hand during Fasting periods.  The reason we don’t buy commercial almond milk is due to the fact that industrial methods for producing almond milk do not involve a sprout.  Sprouting takes time and that extra time is money to corporations so it is overlooked.  When one is replacing a staple like milk with nut milk, then large quantities will be consumed and so the issue of phytates becomes very relevant as it can result in depletion of minerals.

Because our diets are seasonal, sprouting almonds becomes part of a 40 day routine when our diets are already changing for the Fast.  It’s easy to incorporate and develop a rhythm to making the nut milk and having an ample supply on hand.  Our family only makes this milk during the Fasts.

Though it takes a few paragraphs to write out the method for sprouting, the active time involved in making the almond milk is about 10 – 15 minutes.  The rest of it really is left up to the almonds and time.

 

Easy Almond Milk

First for the Sprouting

  • 1 cup rinsed almonds
  • 3 – 4 cups cool water
  • bowl

Method

Place almonds in bowl and pour in water to cover by at least one inch.  Allow almonds to soak for 4-12 hours.

Rinse and drain.  Place almonds in sprouting jar or mason jar and put out of direct sunlight at room temperature.  Let sit for 8-12 hours.  Rinse and drain and you can use them.

The almonds will have a bulge to them.   These are more soaked than sprouted.  Now you can make your almond milk.

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For the almond milk.

  • 1 cup soaked almonds
  • 1 or 2 nut milk bags for draining
  • 2 cups water
  • blender
  • optional: 1/4 tspn pure vanilla extract
  • t tspn raw honey or sweetener of your choice (quantity may vary to taste)

Place almonds and water in blender.  Start out on low speed and increase speed to medium for 1-2 minutes.  All chunks of almond should be gone.  Place nut bags over bowl and pour in the almond milk.  Strain the milk through the bag.

The remaining almond meat can be used for other recipes or placed in a mason jar in freezer until you are ready to use.  The almond meal be stored in the freezer for 2 months.

We normally double or triple the recipe to make a good portion of the almond milk for the week.  The almond milk will separate in the fridge, but that is okay.  Just give it a good shake or stir before enjoying!

During Fasting periods we use it in chai, smoothies, and oatmeal as a staple ingredient.

 

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